


the hardest day

by loeynibaek



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Actor Model!Sehun, Angst?, CEO!Junmyeon, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, kind of domestic!seho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:13:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27383236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loeynibaek/pseuds/loeynibaek
Summary: Sehun concluded that every kiss he shares with Junmyeon is perfect; no matter where, no matter when, if it is with Junmyeon—all kisses are perfect.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol, Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Oh Sehun
Comments: 2
Kudos: 42
Collections: Round 2: SeHo in a Song





	the hardest day

**Author's Note:**

> Both Junmyeon and Sehun know that they would be each other's end game but fate made them thnk otherwise.
> 
> Prompt #89 (Self-Prompt)
> 
> Song: The Hardest Day by Alejandro Sanz

Staring at these gigantic buildings in Seoul with the indistinct tiny city lights had become Junmyeon’s diversion from a stressful day of work. Being in the highest floor level of their building, he found these things amusing to peek at for no specific reason.

This day was extremely stressful for the young CEO. He had to deal with the board of directors regarding their company’s search for the new brand ambassador. He had to persuade them to stop pursuing _Oh Sehun_ because the model clearly told them that he has a lot on his plate right now and couldn’t cater more but those people are persistent because according to them, Oh Sehun got everything they need to represent their brand; they were willing to wait—but Junmyeon’s dad couldn't.

Mr. Kim, the company chairman, was known as the strictest business tycoon in the industry in terms of deadline, rules, and through running and governing his business. In his 30 years in the field, he had reached his triumph and his fellow businessmen admire him for that. He is a man of his words; once he said it, he will certainly do it.

Junmyeon was trained to be his father’s successor since he was young. Business thing, they claimed. Their only difference is Junmyeon is more empathetic. It is all about business, success, and how to stand on his own. He never had the freedom to choose what he wants because his life was already planned before he knew it. The only choice that he had was either to adapt and love the life he was going to have or to hate it.

Eventually, he chose the former.

So, from that day, he decided to live up to his father’s expectations and demands. As the only child of Kim household, he just wanted to please his family by being the good son that he is, and they expect him to be—that is the cause of his imminent headache. His father gave him four months to find a new brand ambassador for their company; it has been a month and Oh Sehun is the only person they (board of directors) want to work with.

The model slash actor could not do it according to his _manager_ because he has a lot of projects to work on. They had a meeting regarding it, and he suggested to have Kim Kai, the CEO's cousin, instead of Oh Sehun but turned out that Kim Kai is also booked and busy.

His thoughts and little world were disrupted by a notification tone on his personal phone. Upon reading the text message, he quickly got up to his seat to fix his things.

He was going _home_.

Since it was Friday night, rush hour as they call it, the road was full of people hurrying to get home before dinner and the traffic was heavier than usual. If this was just a simple day, Junmyeon would not mind. He could eat dinner or do everything he wanted as soon as he got home but no, this day was also a special day for him—for them.

Before heading to his real destination, Junmyeon decided to stop by his house somewhere in Seoul to change his formal clothes into jeans, light blue hoodie, black sneakers, and a cap. Although he would not be coming back to Seoul for the weekend, his clothes would not be a problem.

The travel time from Seoul to Gyeonggi-do usually takes approximately 50 minutes but it took Junmyeon one and a half hour of travel time because of the heavy traffic. He was slightly agitated because of three reasons; he is already hungry, _he_ is waiting, and their dinner must be cold by now.

Junmyeon stopped his car in front of a two-story house, the first property _they_ bought with their savings. It was not as big, as eye catching, and as expensive as his house in Seoul but this is what he can call _home_. The outer part of the house was painted by white and gray—plain, three windows can be seen outside, and a parking space was in the side. They wanted it to be very simple from the outside, but it was the contrary from the look and designs inside.

As soon as he opened the door, Junmyeon was welcomed by a barking and hyper white Bichon Frise pup so he scooted down to lift and hug the pup because he missed him so much.

“Aw~ I missed you too, little bud! Where is your–” Before Junmyeon could even ask, he was suddenly cut off by a loud voice somewhere inside the house.

“Vivi, is your other dad already here?” Junmyeon smiled upon hearing that voice and let go of Vivi. He doffed his shoes and put it neatly beside a black converse shoes inside the shelf.

“Yes, I’m already here! The traffic was indeed heavy; therefore, I was kind of late," he announced while walking to where the other voice came from. “Where are you?”

“In the kitchen—ouch what the fuck!” The voice shouted while terror promptly crept through Junmyeon’s system, so he ran to where their kitchen is located. “HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, LOVE!”

“Huh?” To say that his mind is malfunctioning right now is the right term to define it. He was just panicking because he thought his idiot of a boyfriend got hurt and now, he was surprising him like _this_?! “You... you weren’t hurt?”

“Nope!” The other male muttered with a pop in the end of his answer. “You’re just so slow. I want to see you the moment you got home but you played with Vivi first and walked really slow so I pranked you," he talked with a pout on his lips, hoping for this to be effective because he does not want Junmyeon to be mad.

“OH SEHUN, WHAT THE FUCK!” Junmyeon also shouted and started to run to give Sehun a beating that he truly deserved for scaring the hell out of him.

Beneath their white, opulent chandelier, they ran inside their house like kids who are having the time of their lives. Junmyeon kept on chasing Sehun until the taller got tired, faced him, stopped running, and just opened his arms widely to hug and stop the smaller from chasing him. Junmyeon did not anticipated his sudden action so he could not reduce his speed and fell directly into Sehun’s arms.

“Happy anniversary, Junmyeonie," Sehun whispered, but Junmyeon did not even budge; ergo, he turned to face his boyfriend to hug him and apologize properly. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again, I promise. I know I made you worry but let me make it up to you, okay?”

Both hands propped on Sehun’s chest, Junmyeon rolled his eyes because damn his boyfriend’s shout undeniably made his heart race. “Fine. For anniversary purposes, you are forgiven," but then he remembered that he is clumsier when it comes to kitchen works. When he is alone, he is more likely to eat ramen because it was easy to cook and it was the only food he knows to cook.

“I cooked Samgye-tang since I noticed that it was very hot during the day," and with those words, Junmyeon’s attention was fully focused on Sehun. “My own recipe, of course.”

Junmyeon never really liked Samgye-tang because when he was young, he accidentally ate a whole big garlic and coughed nonstop to the point that he couldn’t properly breathe so he didn’t ate it again unless it’s Sehun’s cooking since the taller knows how to reduce or to chop the garlics the way Junmyeon wants. When they are together, the taller is always cooking traditional Korean foods or healthy foods for them to eat, to make up the days when Junmyeon could not.

“I also cooked Spaghetti Aglio E Olio since our favorite Italian restaurant are always out of it," Sehun held Junmyeon’s hand as they made their way to kitchen to finally eat dinner.

“The soup’s already cold.”

“The soup was hot the moment you arrived, but you chose to have a little chasing game with me so..."

After their dinner, the couple settled lazily on their large couch to have a movie date that they have missed last week. No popcorn, just beer and ramen. Although their stomachs are kind of full already, having these foods while watching a movie is a must.

Just like the old times, they have a deal in which whoever cry in the movie that they are going to watch would be the one to wash the dishes. They are both crybabies, so it was a fair deal. They decided to watch ‘Five Feet Apart’ since they were too busy when it was shown in the cinemas before. Junmyeon was lying on their couch while his head was on the taller’s lap so when he found the scene heartbreaking, he averted his eyes from their television and are now fixated to Van Gogh’s paintings that he bought overseas last month. His heart could not handle the ending, it was too painful for him. Luckily, Sehun did not caught him wandering his eyes like that because he was too engrossed with the film, tears threatening to fall.

The cream-colored paint complements well with his favorite Starry Night painting hanging on their wall. The painting was Sehun’s gift to him for their first anniversary a few years ago. It can literally calm him down and sometimes; it makes him want to succumb into a deep slumber.

“Damn, that’s a lot!” Sehun exclaimed, pertaining to the amount of tears he cried as the film credits showed up. “But I know I won this time," he slightly bent his head down to see if his boyfriend is crying too to confirm if he won or not.

“What?! You cried?!” Junmyeon laughed his ass off when he saw Sehun’s puffy eyes and red nose. The taller cried hard, eh?

“Yes, because it was so sad!” He was trying to find any trace of tears, redness, and puffiness in Junmyeon’s face but there were none. “But... how come you didn’t?” Confusion was all over his head right now. He could not believe that his boyfriend did not even cried when the movie was certainly despairing.

“Of course, I didn’t! I am not a cry baby anymore!” The smaller replied with a wider, playful smile. He decided to get up and sit down to have a clearer view of his confused boyfriend. He wiggled his eyebrows to tease the taller more. “So, who’s going to wash the dishes tonight, honey?”

“Hmpf! It _is_ unfair! Who would not cry in that movie! The ending was so sad because the man had to do--” His rants was brought to a halt by a pair of soft lips touching his. He was taken aback yet he also closed his eyes to move his lips in sync to his boyfriend’s.

They both relaxed in each other’s touch, knees getting weak in every move made by their lips. Sehun felt his heart pulsating in his chest. He was finally feeling Junmyeon’s breath against his mouth again—his lips were intoxicating and inviting at the same time. This was not what he imagined for their anniversary kiss, but Junmyeon made this kiss optimum.

Sehun felt the smaller placed his hands on the back of his head, its right place, and stroked his hair affectionately. The kiss they shared was chaste, but it was full of longing. The taller snaked his hands on Junmyeon’s waist to pull him closer and while the kiss was getting deeper, both felt an unusual though familiar sudden rose of heat in their stomachs going to their chests.

They pulled away almost out of breath and that made them smile. Trying to calm their pounding hearts, Sehun embraced Junmyeon as the latter comfortably rest his head on his chest.

“Happy anniversary again, baby," he breathed, looking straight to his eyes and kissed the top of his head. “I love you.”

Junmyeon was beyond happy. He never thought about this day, their 4th year anniversary would come that fast and as he melted with those subtle gestures and sincere words, he felt tears streaming down his soft features. “Happy anniversary, too... I love you, so, so much.”

Without hesitation, the taller kissed those happy tears away, admiring how beautiful the smaller is even if he just cried a while ago.

“But still, you will be the one to do the dishes!”

Sehun concluded that every kiss he shares with Junmyeon is perfect; no matter where, no matter when, if it is with Junmyeon—all kisses are perfect.

CEO Kim Junmyeon and actor slash model Oh Sehun knew each other through their common friend, Yoona, and have been together for four years now. It was an extreme surprise for their close friends when they knew about their relationship because back then, Sehun and Junmyeon would always bicker when they are together but a year after their childish fights and bickering, they finally dated and admitted that they like each other. Now, they did not fought even once though teasing might be there, but a serious fight? Not even once. Given the fact that both are always busy, and they barely have time for each other so it was absolutely a must to be very understanding.

The couple were happy and contented even though they must hide their relationship to everyone. The only people who know about them were their close friends whom they trust with everything. It was tiring, of course. They wanted everyone to know they are together, but it seemed impossible right now.

One month left before Sehun's public dating ban is yet to be lifted and hopefully, the weight of their secret relationship will be lifted too.

While Sehun was doing the dishes, Junmyeon went straight to their bedroom to have a shower for him to change his clothes and he could not help but to admire these beautiful Van Gogh's paintings before him. It has been a week or two since he last saw these and it was safe to say that staring at these paintings is therapeutic for him.

It took him 15 minutes to do everything he needed but his boyfriend was still downstairs. It was not like a household with 10 members ate with them so what was taking him so long?

Bringing his phone with him, he went downstairs to check on his boyfriend only to find him in front of the sink, _still_ not yet done with what he was doing.

Sehun's back was facing him and he thought (he always do) his boyfriend's back was hot, so he took out his phone and attempted to take a picture of the perfect view in front of him but a loud sound of his phone's camera surprised the both of them.

Sometimes he is just so dumb, he admits.

"Enjoying the view, baby?" The younger turned his face to look at his flustered boyfriend whose face is now colored in crimson.

"H-huh? No? No, of course not!"

"Hmm? Then what are you doing?"

"Maybe I'm taking a selfie, shut up," Junmyeon argued back, not enjoying the teasing he was receiving.

"Oh well, we both know you're not into selfies. What's gotten into you?" Sehun took off his gloves and eyed the smaller suspiciously. "You can take thousands of my pictures and I won't complain. I know you stare at those when you miss me."

"Okay, okay! I just took a photo of your back because it looked good for a second, I guess. Your broad shoulders got me."

Sehun walked slowly, snatching Junmyeon's phone from his hand. "May I see? This picture should look good."

Junmyeon did not bother to answer him, instead, he looked up to him and stared at his boyfriend with the thought of how handsome he gets each time they meet.

He may be dumb at times, but he knows he was so lucky to have this childish yet understanding man as his boyfriend.

Sehun felt his boyfriend's gaze piercing through him so he stared back, admitting to himself how much he missed this cutie beside him. His eyes traveled to Junmyeon's soft, plump lips which looks pretty inviting now. They just kissed earlier but he already misses the way their lips dance with the rhythm of their beating hearts.

Without any hesitation, Sehun closed his eyes and slowly leaned in to close the gap between them. The smaller did not even flinch as if he was waiting for Sehun to kiss him. He instantly closed his eyes too when he saw his boyfriend obviously leaning for a kiss.

Sehun pulled him closer while Junmyeon's arms rested straight to his nape to deepen the kiss. It was innocent at first not until Junmyeon felt a tongue licking his lower lip, asking for entrance. He opened his mouth as they fought for dominance and he was not functioning well right now, so he just let his man gently suck his tongue. Their hearts were beating tumultuously along with the desire to feel and please each other tonight.

Sehun put his hands beneath Junmyeon's thighs to lift him up while they slowly made their way to their bedroom upstairs. They were kissing as if they were on rush, their lips nibbling and pulling each other's just to earn a smile in between their kisses. The young CEO felt that he was being laid down on the soft mattress of their bed, so he opened his eyes to see his boyfriend hovering over him. Sehun took his right hand and kissed his knuckles that made him blush even more.

"Damn, you're so beautiful," the taller mumbled, lips not leaving Junmyeon's skin. The smaller man felt his kisses on his shoulder, neck, and forehead.

"Se," he could not talk properly since his mind went blank the moment, they started their intense make out. The only thing in his mind right now was Sehun and the way he touched and made him feel precious.

"I can't imagine how did I managed to make you fall in love with me but I'm not complaining at all," the actor model finally mumbled before he leaned close to devour Junmyeon's anticipating lips again.

Their skillful hands were felt roaming against their naked bodies as kisses and touches intensified. They spent the night under the white covers with the smaller screaming his boyfriend's name, feeling both pain and pleasure as Sehun thrusts into him in a rapid phase and end it with the whispers of quiet "I love you."

Waking up next to the person he wants to spend his life with was one of the things Junmyeon could not be more thankful of. His head was under the arms of his sleeping boyfriend, making it his pillow while their legs are entangled, and their bodies were too close to even recognize what distance is.

_This is his home, his safe haven_.

When he looked up, he was welcomed by a peaceful sleeping face of his boyfriend. He lifted his hand, caressing his boyfriend's soft yet manly features that fit his face just so perfectly. He has this pointed nose, sharp yet soft eyes, and eyebrows that has its own life especially when he was eating or annoying the hell out of Junmyeon.

He would not stop thanking the heavens for giving him the courage to confess because that same afternoon, the younger confessed his feelings too. He smiled at the sight; wanting to treasure and remember this moment forever where they were away from everybody, from any cameras, from the restrictions—just peaceful, quiet, and full of each other.

Everything was worth remembering right now, for no reason in particular, even the loud beating of his heart.

He just could not think of what his life would be if they were not together. Maybe he was not _this_ happy, maybe he would not experience the kind of love Sehun was giving him, and maybe he was alone with the paper works in his office. That was his life before his boyfriend came to the picture. Pretty sad, right? So, he was very thankful when the taller brought his dull life its color and some twists.

They still have to wait for a month before they can finally tell everyone that they are dating and the thought of telling the whole world how much they love each other just bring tears to his eyes, he could not wait for it to happen.

Since it was weekend, the young CEO made sure that his secretary would only call him if there would be an urgent matter to be accomplished or an emergency. He does not want his work to steal him away from his boyfriend like how it did last week.

Junmyeon decided to get up to cook some pancakes and eggs for their breakfast but he was put into a halt by a strong arm, pulling him by his waist so his back fell on his boyfriend's chest—again.

"I'm going to cook for us, let me go for a while," Junmyeon argued while tapping the arm who pulled him a while ago.

"Good morning to you, too, baby. How about breakfast in bed, hmm?" Sehun asked, his husky bed voice was _oh my god_ , an eargasm and the naughty tone not leaving his words. Junmyeon felt him caressing his stomach in round motion and oh, he did not forget that they are still naked, and his boyfriend's dick was currently poking his ass.

"Can we please eat some decent food first? Aren't you hungry?"

"My stomach isn't but I'm hungry for something else," Junmyeon, then, faced his boyfriend with a questioning look. "You know what I mean, baby."

He felt his face turn red by the sudden remark. Of course, he knows, he knows _it_ very well.

"Can you please stop thinking about your dick first?"

"Okay," Sehun answered, looking like a puppy who was kicked out by his owner. "Cook something edible, alright?"

The smaller knew how shitty his cooking skills are but he was trying, okay?! He could cook eggs, hotdogs…. and ramen. "I learnt how to cook _edible_ pancakes! You'll see!"

Their breakfast went well and loud, as always. The two loved catching up while eating and speaking of catching up, Sehun remembered how busy Junmyeon was last week that they were not able to meet at least once.

"How was your preparation for your summer collection going?" He asked, sipping the coffee the smaller had made him. Junmyeon might lack of some cooking skills but Sehun could swear, he makes the _best_ coffee.

"Oh, that was a really stressful work and I'm glad we already finished it though we might need to do some minor revisions. My team has been working so hard these days, they also deserve a rest," the young CEO answered, feeling some satisfaction for they had been working their asses off for the whole month just to make the summer collection as perfect as it could be.

"Your company isn't still giving up on getting me as your ambassador. Just say yes, babe, and I'll also say yes to them."

Junmyeon knows, of course, and he could not count how many times he told them to stop.

"I already told them to stop. They are so hardheaded; they make my blood boil."

"Why are you so against with the idea of working with me?" the actor model asked innocently because ever since he knew that an offer from Junmyeon's company would be given to him, he felt so ecstatic and he could not help but to think about all the possibilities of working with Junmyeon and before he could even say yes, the smaller told him to reject the offer because of _busy schedules_. "I asked my manager and he told me it's fine, it could fit in my schedule. Your words are just holding me back."

"Sehun, you know how dangerous it could be once they saw us together," he spoke after a quiet sigh. He had been thinking about this for a few days now and he came to a final thought that maybe, he was being unfair to Sehun to make him think like that. "It's not that I don't like to work with you. I swear I would if I could but now's not the right time."

"I understand that you want to protect us, especially me, from being caught by the media—it's just that I don't exactly get what is there to be afraid of. We have been together for four years and we attended the same events though not together, always next to each other, and there was no issue nor speculation, not even one so—"

"Dior is planning to make you their global ambassador," Junmyeon cut his boyfriend's words by spilling out the news that was supposed to be a surprise for Sehun's birthday next week.

"Come again? I... think I misheard you?"

"Yes, Sehun. You're going to be the next global ambassador of Dior," he said, all smiles.

"Is this real? Is this _fucking_ real? Oh my god, babe, please pinch me so I would know that this is not a dream," Sehun was just spitting out incoherent words which made Junmyeon's smile get wider.

"Yes, this is real and that was the sole reason why I told you to reject my company's offer," Junmyeon announced as he felt the same excitement with his boyfriend. "This is your dream, right? Baby, finally!"

Because of too much joy, Sehun stood up to lift Junmyeon and he spin them around slowly. Junmyeon was too shocked to even comprehend what was happening so he just held onto his boyfriend tight.

The taller showered his face with smooches and words of gratitude as they share another dream that came true with each other.

"Silly, why are you thanking me? I just told the news to you but that does not mean I was the one who made it possible. No strings were pulled, it was all your hard work, babe."

"Just... thank you for being here, celebrating this news with me. But how come you know this?"

"Apparently, I have a friend from Dior and he accidentally spilled it out, I think? This was supposed to be a surprise for you but since you opened up about the offer from my company and I could not have you thinking that I don't want you around, so yeah, I finally spilled it," when the taller calmed down, Junmyeon motioned them to sit again to continue with their breakfast. "They probably just sent an invitation last night for you to meet them and have this settled. They are just waiting for your confirmation but because we're both on weekend vacation, you will be seeing the invitation on Monday."

Sehun could not be happier. Being recognized by Dior was already a dream come true for him but making him as their global ambassador? He must have saved their country in his past life. He finally understood why Junmyeon was acting like that when the topic was about his company's offer.

Junmyeon, on the other hand, was also proud and glad that Sehun is achieving another milestone with him and because the taller chose to understand him amidst of all the confusions he must have caused about the rejection of the offer.

He knew Sehun very well, he knew exactly what he wanted and what would make him happy and Sehun could not wish for more.

And after years of thinking, they finally realized: they want to be each other's end game.

The weekend passed by like a blur and the two lovers have to go back to their reality—seated behind the brown wide wooden table and around the flashes of cameras. Why does Saturday and Monday are so near with each other, but Monday and Saturday are quite far?

To avoid the media from catching them, they always make sure to go back to Seoul with their own cars though Sehun was used to holding Junmyeon's hand every time he wanted while driving, he couldn't—well, at least when they were just in Seoul and going back there.

Three weeks later, Junmyeon was having an important meeting with the staffs from W Korea for the month after next month's issue. H2Oasis, Junmyeon's company, will have their summer collection featured for the next, next issue and as early as now, a meeting was truly needed for them to have a thorough preparation.

This would be one of Junmyeon's biggest project as they are considered as the 'standard of summer fashion' providing their company name, H2Oasis. Every summer, the company has been successfully thriving to outsell their previous collections by going beyond the public's expectations. Mr. Kim, Junmyeon's father, started on this path and the latter is the one who is continuing it; this project was not only about their company's reputation and sales, but it was also about to make him proud of Junmyeon.

"So right now, we are still communicating to some of the artist's managers, especially those who are having a summer comeback, whether their schedules are free or not," Junmyeon was listening intently to the staff as he played with his pen on his hand. His eyebrows knitted and he wrote something on the paper provided by his secretary.

He was sitting in the middle, looking like a scary boss who was about to fire someone in any minute but no, he was just concentrating, and his professional aura was oozing.

"Do we need a specific gender? Because if not, my friend, Yoona will be having her comeback next month so I guess, she could be our model for our collection? It's also a good promotion and exposure for her, if you'd ask me," his voice was intimidating and stern, full of professionalism.

"We'll try to get in touch with her and her manager. Mr. Kim, I think it's best for you to inform her as early as you can."

"Yes, I'll also do that," to be frank, Junmyeon loves working with W Korea given that they provide the best shots, their staffs are always professional and easy to talk to, and they are always open for suggestions as much as he does.

Moving on, the meeting was adjourned earlier than Junmyeon had expected and another meeting was already scheduled for next week—upon the artist's confirmation.

It was two in the afternoon when he felt his phone vibrating inside his suit. Someone was calling and just by the sound of the ringtone, a smile was instantly displayed in Junmyeon's face.

"Hey, babe. How was the meeting?" Junmyeon asked the person on the other line while he turned to his window to have a sight of the tall buildings behind his seat.

"It went well and the staffs from Dior were indeed nice! I cannot wait to start working with them," Sehun yelled with enthusiasm. The smaller could extremely tell how happy his boyfriend is for being given this opportunity. "How about your meeting with W Korea?"

He signed his contract with Dior on his birthday and the two celebrated it over dinner and _of course_ , birthday sex in Junmyeon's condo unit.

"Well, we are still in need of an artist and all I can think about now is Yoona."

"Is that because she has been bragging about her comeback and even made us listen to her _still_ unreleased album?"

Junmyeon chuckled. Of course, he would not forget how their closest friend, Yoona, woke them up in the middle of the night just to let them hear her album. "No but I wouldn't forgive her for what he did to us last week."

"Oh, come on, babe, we both know you can't resist her especially when she goes all _uwu_ with you," Sehun replied.

He remembered how Yoona had to set them on a blind date with each other for them to finally confess their hidden yet obvious feelings for each other and yes, she succeeded; Junmyeon bravely confessed first and Sehun followed.

"Let us see. She has to take us out on a dinner before I forgive her."

"Just say that you want the fried chicken from downtown and I'll get you one," the taller accusingly said and his reply was followed by a tumultuous laugh from the other line.

"You got me there, baby! You know me very well that's why I love you so [so] much!" Junmyeon exclaimed, smile never leaving his face. "Oh, anyway, thank you for the flowers this morning. I thought you couldn't make it, but you still did—"

"Flowers? I was telling the truth when I said that there would be no flowers from me today so how come that something arrived in your office?"

Ever since the two started dating, Sehun made a habit of buying a bouquet of flowers every Monday and have it delivered to Junmyeon's office without the name of the sender. He informed the smaller beforehand so he would not be creeped out of the flowers from an anonymous person.

But now, due to his early schedule, he forgot to buy a bouquet online and told Junmyeon that he would make it up to him next time so how come he received some flowers?

"Is it from the same flower shop?" Sehun asked as he thought of any possibilities behind it.

"Yes, and the card has no name too, so I honestly thought this was from you. I thought that maybe you just like to surprise me or something like that," Junmyeon was staring at the bouquet with curiosity.

_Who was the sender aside from his boyfriend?_

"But I don't remember buying something from them today," he was kind of panicking, but he does not like to show it. "Listen, babe, we don't know where it came from, but I guess it's best for you not to touch it. Let me check it tomorrow."

"Alright, Mr. Oh-so-protective. I'll hang up now, I have an important meeting with the finance department."

"Wait, Jun!"

"Hm?"

"One week left, baby, how do you feel about it?"

And with that question, Junmyeon's ears perked up and he could not hide his exhilarated yet nervous smile. "I'm excited, maybe, and a bit nervous? I actually dread that day, Se. I have so many thoughts running through my head—a lot of what ifs."

"I am also anxious, Jun, but we're here for each other, right? So there's nothing to fear—what important is I have you and you have me," Sehun reassured the smaller and it made Junmyeon release the deep breath that he had been holding in his lungs for too long. "I love you so much and no matter what happen on that day, I will never let any hindrances to break us apart."

"I love you too, so much... and I will hold on tight, I promise you."

_The_ day came unexpectedly quick while the two of them were not mentally prepared.

_This is it_.

The day when Sehun would finally tell their relationship to their company where he is working. His manager, who was like his older brother, demanded that he would help them in case anything unpleasant would happen. His manager was one of the few people who know about them and he surprisingly supported their relationship.

Actually, Sehun had no plans on telling it to his manager in fear of getting reprimanded or worst, expose it to their CEO but he accidentally saw their conversation one night when Sehun passed out due to fatigue after a 30-hour taping. Sticking his nose into Sehun's business was never his intention and if the kid wanted to tell him something, he would wait. He was shocked, to say the least, hence, he finally understood why the both of them stopped hanging out after a year of childish fights and teasing—they started dating. He might be shocked but seeing how happy Sehun, his almost little brother, had gotten in the past year, he decided to let the younger expose their relationship in his own liking.

He immediately informed Sehun regarding his new acquired information and as expected, the younger was shocked that went with his pleading to not to be exposed to the CEO. He was just a rookie that time, his career was yet to thrive so he could not afford to lose what he gained in a few years of working hard. Sehun's manager might be shocked but seeing how happy Sehun, his almost little brother, had gotten in the past year, he decided to let the younger expose their relationship in his own liking.

Fixing his long sleeve shirt, cold sweat started to form in Sehun's hands while waiting for the CEO to arrive in his office. He got his manager with him to support him; on top of that, Junmyeon had helped him to find the courage to face this day that would be inevitable from now on which came along with the lifting of his dating ban.

"Sehun-ah, my dearest artist, what brought you to my office? I suppose this matter is very important that it made you come here and talk to me personally," Mr. Lee, their CEO, said the moment he entered his office because of a notice from his secretary that Sehun and his manager were there, waiting for him.

"Yes, Mr. Lee. This is quite... uh important," Sehun answered, heart loudly beating in his chest—thank the heavens he didn't stutter.

"So, let us get this straight, then? I'm afraid I have made you wait here for two hours."

"About my contract, Mr. Lee, I would like to reiterate a particular part wherein I am not allowed to publicly date anyone, be it in or out of show business, for the first five years of my debut."

Sehun was having an unexplainable feeling of uneasiness which was making its way to his thoughts.

They saw Mr. Lee smirked while Sehun thought, in his 25 years of handling artists and having to encounter this numerous times, he already knew where this conversation would go.

"It's your 5th year debut anniversary today so you would like to talk to me regarding this because you have someone you like, aren't you?"

"Uh... yes. Both are correct."

"Go ahead, Sehun-ssi. I'll see what I can do."

"Actually, sir, I am—" Sehun was not even done saying the reason why they came there when a knock from Mr. Lee's door was heard from outside and his secretary rushed to them in a little panicky state.

"Excuse me, Mr. Lee, your meeting with the representatives of TVM is in 5 minutes. I am sorry to interrupt but I think it's best for you to settle in the conference room right now, sir," she said, high heels ringing in Sehun's ear.

"Alright, then. Sehun, can we talk some other time instead? Come here in my office anytime and let me hear what you have to say."

He does not know why but the moment Mr. Lee's secretary came in before he could speak, he felt relief. Maybe, just maybe, he was not ready yet. He already weighted the consequences and prepared himself for months for this so he would not let himself to chicken out because he was _still_ scared of what might happen.

"Will do, sir. Thank you for your time," his manager answered their CEO in Sehun's place for the younger could not find his voice to speak—he looks like his whole energy were all drained because of what just happened. "Sehun, are you alright?"

"No, hyung. I was close to backing out and just hide everything from everyone, knowing how this could affect us in many ways but I am also aware how Junmyeon wants us to be legal, well at least, in our company, to protect me," he spoke truthfully—letting his guard down and showing how vulnerable he could be in front of his manager.

"I know. You looked _really_ pale a while ago. I was thinking of interrupting you, but Ms. Park had the chance to do it before I could even talk."

"Hyung," Sehun called his manager while the hesitation was present in his voice. "I don't know how to say this to Junmyeon. I promised him I will reveal our relationship to the CEO today."

"Just say what truly happened, I know he will understand; the both of you always does."

On the other hand, Junmyeon could not explain why he was nervous as fuck when he was not the one who would face the CEO. He was very anxious, and he kept on glancing at his wristwatch, checking it from time to time. It has been two and a half hours since he last talked to Sehun and still, there was no update. He kept on swaying his feet repeatedly, indicating how nervous and anxious he was at the moment.

Junmyeon was in the verge of crying; showing how his emotions were currently on peak when his phone rang, making a loud noise inside his calm and quiet office.

"Baby! What happened? How did it go? Are you okay? God, you made me so nervous! I was waiting for your texts, but I received none, I thought something bad happened. I was so worried," the tears finally rolled down to his face—making his voice quite hard to understand.

"Jun? Are you... wait, why are you crying, babe? I am sorry I was not able to update you, but can we please meet at my place tonight? I'll tell you what happened," when Sehun uttered those words, Junmyeon's mind instantly went to over analyze it.

"O-okay, I'll be there."

"Hush now, baby, alright? I am sorry for making you worried. I swear, I will make it up to you. Chicken from downtown for dinner?"

"Yes, please, and you have a lot to tell me. See you later!"

Junmyeon was silently hoping and praying that whatever happened in Sehun's company earlier that day would be in their favor.

Sehun was arranging the table in his dining room when he heard his doorbell rang once.

_This must be Junmyeon_ , he thought. _I am not expecting anyone to come except him._

But when he opened the door, Junmyeon was not there nor anyone. Even so, there was a small blue box situated in his doorstep with his name on the note.

_Sehun, I hope you liked my gift. Take care always_.

Sehun does not want to take the small box inside, too scared of what was inside it and also, whoever gave this to him could have showed themself so that he would not feel terrified about receiving a gift from an anonymous person.

As an actor model, these things were not foreign to him already; oftentimes, his fans would drop off to the building where he lives just to give him their gifts but they know their limitations, their gifts would be all placed in the lobby and he would just pick those up if he has time.

But tonight was different. A gift was placed _in front_ of his door and there was no other name except his.

"Sehun? Why are you outside?" At last, the person he was waiting for arrived. He was still in his formal clothes and the taller could tell that he came straight from work.

"I just wanted to check if you're already here because my doorbell rang a while ago, so I thought it was you," he replied.

"I just came here though. Do you know who rang it?"

"I don't know but I saw this little box in my doorstep. I guess they left this here," Sehun said nonchalantly. "Anyway, let us come inside? Your bunny slippers miss you already."

When Sehun closed the door properly, there, and then, he pulled his small boyfriend into a warm, tight hug while resting his head on top of Junmyeon's—as if he was recharging himself from a _really_ draining day he just had. Even though taken aback, the smaller hugged him back without asking anything.

They might look like they are just friends from outside, but they are [more] than that when they are in their own little world, behind closed doors.

The two of them are transparent, not even thinking of hiding anything from the other especially if their relationship might get but along with being open with their relationship, there are some things that they were not openly talking about—privacy, of course, and it was all fine.

Junmyeon took a warm shower, changed his clothes to his pajamas, and wore his cute bunny slippers. He has three pairs of pajamas set in Sehun's condo unit for he loves to stay there overnight and sleep while cuddling his tall boyfriend.

They ate their dinner in silence yet the fidgeting in Sehun's movements were obvious _as hell_ , he kept on rocking his legs, and he could not look in Junmyeon's eyes. These actions had made the smaller more worried about what happened earlier.

_Did something bad happened? Sehun is not usually like_ this _quiet and fidgety_.

"Can you please tell me what happened to your meeting with the CEO? Your actions are making me nervous," Junmyeon said as he put down his chopsticks to face Sehun.

"I-I was scared," he started, eyes fixated on his food. "I was this close of telling him our relationship, but his secretary made the right timing of entrance to interrupt me, so I was not able to tell him anything."

"Se... I am sorry. I didn't know you were scared," he reached out to hold his boyfriend's hands, somehow ashamed of letting his man do this without him by his side plus the fact that he did not know about how he felt made him even more guilty.

"It's because I wanted to look strong and brave for you but that very moment, I don't know; my mind went blank and I was in the verge of backing out then, I remembered you. I remembered how long we have been waiting for this day to come so I found my courage back. It's just that, she interrupted so I guess this isn't the right time yet?"

Junmyeon sighed in relief. He thought something bad happened and although the plan would succeed or not, they had it planned already yet he was still afraid like his boyfriend.

"Maybe the world was trying to tell us to wait a little more," Junmyeon replied while gently caressing Sehun's hands.

"Would that be fine with you?"

In case of a verbal answer, the smaller smiled brightly and slowly nodded.

"But it's been years, Jun."

"It's alright, baby. Remember, this is not just about me. We _are_ in this relationship together so our choice, not just mine, matter; also, we have more things to settle so let's get those done tonight and the day that we would try again, I want the both of us to be mentally and emotionally ready."

Sehun could not wish for more. He was ready to lose everything, anything, just do not take Junmyeon away from him.

After their dinner, the two lay down in Sehun's balcony as they face the huge moon that was shining beautifully in the night sky. Junmyeon's head was resting on the taller's chest while their legs are entangled under a comforter.

Sehun was playing with their hands and he could feel the breeze brushing to their skins which made me cling closer to each other.

"Se," Junmyeon whispered. They were still looking at the beauty of the moon. "To be honest, I am also scared. Telling our relationship to your company would also mean that I have to tell this to my family, to dad."

Yes, even Junmyeon's family does not know their relationship because he decided not to tell them. He was scared, maybe, or he was just afraid of his father's reaction for he would not talk about relationships when they are together and Junmyeon was not that open to his family.

"I thought we settled everything when we planned on telling 'us' to our company but seems like there are some problems left to be fixed."

"Yes, I guess. We weren't honest enough; we only focused on the positive and negative outcome that might happen and completely forgot to talk about our fears."

It was hard for the both of them to talk about it. It was a part of themselves hidden in the darkest side of their minds and were kept hidden until this very day. Ever since they have started dating, fear never once crossed their minds throughout these years. They went out on a date, had some out of the country trips together, had some events attended together countless times but they were safe so in that way, they found fear unnecessary. They were living in their own world for too long and somehow forgot the reality, _their reality._

"Let's fix this, alright?"

"Let's fix this."

Sehun shifted a little to lay Junmyeon's head more comfortably. The smaller could hear his heartbeat—it was fast like _really_ fast yet calming at the same time.

"Why is your heart beating so fast? Are you nervous or something?" He asked, a little worried.

"Of course, I'm nervous. You are here so why wouldn't I? After all these years, you alone, can make me like this," the taller answered as he tried to hide his reddening face on the smaller's smooth hair.

"Still as silly as before, eh?" Junmyeon chuckled on Sehun's remarks. The topic that they were going to talk about was getting more intense and the taller never failed to make him smile. "So anyway, as I was saying..."

Although they finished at an ungodly hour, they spent that night talking about themselves, their relationship, and most especially, their fears.

After that night, they have felt the most connected—emotionally—and the conversation they had absolutely made them more prepared, stronger. They were each other's pillar, each other's home, and even if a storm might or might not come, protecting it had become their number one priority.

Junmyeon fell asleep in his safest place, feeling the warmth of the arm that held him in his most vulnerable and finest state together with a soft pair of lips resting on his forehead.

Sometimes, Junmyeon just wanted to stop the time or at least to make it slow. Can he just have a pause for everything and prepare himself more?

_The_ day has finally come, again, after two weeks and no matter how many times he told himself that it would be fine—or not—who knows, at least Sehun and him have each other.

He appeared stronger today than the last time. He made an extra effort of reminding and comforting his boyfriend to somewhat alleviate the nervousness in his system.

This is it; after this day, several things would surely change and they got themselves ready for whatever change, good or bad, that are awaiting them.

One hour have passed and still no updates from Sehun like the last time.

"Is Mr. Lee usually this hard to meet? Does he made them wait for him again?" He thought absentmindedly. Junmyeon already had his third cup of coffee though he knew he should not drink that much for he was feeling a lot more nervous than he did earlier. He felt something does not feel right, something strange, yet he could not point out what it is.

"I, myself, is a CEO but I have never made anyone, even my secretary to wait for me for this long," he muttered again but this time, his hands were itching to fish his phone out of his pocket to call and check on his boyfriend.

After several rings, Sehun answered the call. He waited for him to shout in merriment, for his loud voice to echo in Junmyeon's silent office but he heard none. The deafening silence was ringing loud in his ears as Junmyeon's heartbeat quicken its pace and he knew; something was not right.

"Babe, what happened? Are you very much happy that you forgot to talk?" He asked with a little grin in his face, wishing that his silence was an indication of approval, of freedom.

But all those thoughts were wrecked when he heard his boyfriend's diminutive sobs that could be distinguished as a long sigh on the other line.

"Jun.."

"What happened?" Junmyeon was attempting to be calm as he grabbed his car keys and ran as fast as he could to where his car was parked. "Keep your GPS on, I'll be there in a few. Wait for me, please."

Junmyeon only saw Sehun cry twice: when they visited his parents' grave and when they first declared their love for each other. He might act like a tough man who could conquer the world sometimes, but the truth is, he was also a soft-hearted person who needed the utmost care. He might not be the type to cry so much but the emotions would always be visible in his eyes—those eyes that are open like a vast sea for Junmyeon to dive.

What happened to their company must have _surely_ unpleasant to make his boyfriend cry like this.

In no more than ten minutes, Junmyeon arrived at Sehun's place. He ran as fast as he could to reach the place immediately, so he did not know that there was something in front of the door. A small box with Sehun's name, again, looking like the same one from before. He picked it up and although short in breath, he entered the pass code hurriedly only to find the taller's manager sitting in the couch. The smaller's arrival was unannounced to him that it made him jump on his seat.

"Junmyeon—seriously—that started me!" Manager-hyung half shouted while clutching his clothes in the chest part.

"Sorry, hyung, I just thought Sehun was alone."

"He's in his room, if you'd ask."

"Thanks, hyung."

"I was just waiting for you to arrive, so I guess it's time for me to take my leave. Talk about it, Junmyeon. He needs you... and I know you need him as much as he does."

He hurriedly went to the farthest door of the place where Sehun's room was located. The room was quiet and if he does not know that Sehun was inside, he would doubt it.

"Sehun?" With light steps, Junmyeon approached the room as he placed his ear on the door to hear if Sehun was still crying.

He knocked once but no one answered, then again, he knocked, waiting for his boyfriend to open the door for him or at least tell him to get inside.

Worried and running out of patience, he entered the room only to find a big lump on the queen-sized bed, sleeping soundly as he curled his toes against the white mattress.

He looked like he just fell asleep a while ago because of the dry tears that could be easily seen on his face. His nose was obviously red, and his eyes were puffy.

It was never Junmyeon's intention to wake Sehun up as he caressed his cheeks to get rid of the tears on his face, hence, he still did.

"Babe," Sehun spoke with his husky voice. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

Junmyeon sensed that his boyfriend's throat got dry, so he outstretched his hand to give him some water to drink.

"It did not turn out well," the taller burst out, staring down to the floor. "Mr. Lee was not happy about what I told him and told me to break up with you. That's not all because he also warned me."

"Your dating ban has been finally lifted so why would he stop you from dating me?" Junmyeon kept his voice calm and low for he does not want to bring panic among them.

"I don't know. I tried to convince him, told him the same words that you just said but he paid no attention to it and immediately disapproved. It is okay though, I know we are not violating anything here, especially my contract so no one's breaking up. Suit his bitter ass."

"So, you were crying not because you were scared of him and his decisions?"

" _What_? Hell no. I know what I am doing—I know what we are doing. I cried because I was sorry and I am afraid I failed you," the taller leaned closer to rest in head on top of Junmyeon's shoulder as he hugged the smaller by his waist. "This is the day that we have been waiting for all these years and yet, I failed to get his approval."

"That would never happen, babe. What you did was brave enough and please do know that you did not failed anyone. Remember what I told you last night? You have no responsibility with whatever his answer would be so if he was not happy about it, it's not your fault."

"Good thing we had this planned already so we're not panicking here right now."

"I know right? I came up with this idea and that proves how genius your boyfriend is."

"What are you holding?" Sehun asked as he noticed the small box similar from the last one he found in front of his door.

"I picked it up on your doorstep. It looks like the first one, baby. What was inside that box anyway?"

"Oh, my name was engraved in the bracelet inside."

"Do you have any clue about the sender's identity?"

"None, babe, even the staffs do not have any idea with them."

"That's kind of creepy, geez. But hey babe, they are just placing their gifts outside your door and never tried to get in, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"So, I guess we have _nothing_ to worry about?"

After that day, the two were frequently seen going out on a date. They went in some concerts together, visited some charity events together, and going out on a dinner date together. The things that they were lowkey doing before were becoming more recognizable to the public.

_"Is that Oh Sehun and CEO Kim?"_

_"The visuals, omg! Their chemistry is overflowing~"_

_"They are so cute together even if their faces were hidden. I saw CEO Kim laughing his ass out when Sehun stumbled upon something that one time I went to the mall."_

_"Are the two a thing? Are we missing something here?"_

Speculations and rumors about them, dating, arouse a month later. Nevertheless, the couple remained unbothered.

Some of their dates have become more chaotic especially when a paparazzi in disguise was involved. This was just one of the consequences that they could encounter upon dating publicly, but it was okay—they were ready.

In addition, the couple were not doing anything against anything so it would always be okay.

Mr. Lee, on the other hand, had become stricter with Sehun. The younger was not showing in their company so much due to busy schedules so he was bewildered—though he anticipated this already—when their CEO summoned him one morning while he was having his cup of hot coffee.

He was fuming mad and thus vociferate his frustration about how the company has been receiving a large amount of calls from various news and journalism companies, asking for their statement regarding the dating rumors between Sehun and Junmyeon.

"Why don't you just release a statement, saying that yes, I am dating him? I guarantee you, sir, our lives would be so much easier. Plus, it's true anyway so why bother denying it when the truth is in front of them to see?"

"You have no right to tell me what to do, Mr. Oh—and may I remind you, you are still under this company, MY company and whatever violations or act that would affect the company and its name might lead to termination of contract. Do you understand?"

"Clear as a water, sir."

Mr. Lee, then, turned his head to face his artist only to be welcomed by a bored expression in his face. It infuriated him in some way when he saw that Sehun was not even threatened; he even looked like he does not give a fuck to anyone right now.

"If you continue to rebel against me and the company, you will lose _more than_ you think you would. You know me, Oh Sehun. You may go."

Sehun nonchalantly nodded and excused himself, getting away from that suffocating room that was once a comfort place for his dreams; a dream of becoming a CEO one day with his own entertainment company.

Honestly, he was not afraid of Mr. Lee; however, his last statement enkindled something inside him.

Fright? Second thoughts? He was not sure.

Since it was Monday, it has been Sehun's hobby to go to the flower shop personally if he was not that busy to buy some flowers for his boyfriend like the usual. He needed to walk, he needed some time to cleanse his mind with some fresh morning air so after his meeting with Mr. Lee, he wore his face mask and black cap and left the building.

The flower shop was just three blocks away from their company so instead of going there by his car, he chose to walk. It was only 8:30 in the morning so this kind of idea could be considered as a safe strolling.

He opened the glass door and the bell on top of it made a sound, signifying that someone arrived.

"Good morning, auntie!" Sehun delightfully greeted the lady in her mid-60's. Upon seeing the young boy, a warm smile displayed on her wrinkled yet beautiful face. "How are you and these flowers doing?"

"Sehun," she chuckled, and fondness could be heard in her voice. "We're fine, the shop is also doing well. How about you? I haven't seen you for a month though you were continuously buying flowers for Junmyeon."

Yes, the old lady who owns the flower shop where Sehun has been buying also knew about them. Sehun was treating her like his own auntie and she was also fond of his boyfriend. Junmyeon had already met her before, twice, in her flower shop and those encounters made them unquestionably close.

"Junmyeon was not hard to like," she murmured to Sehun one Monday morning after she met Junmyeon.

"I agree but how do you say so?"

"He is very polite, and I guess it is just in his nature to smile every time he could. He is also funny, and he knows how to communicate with others without sounding rude or arrogant though his aura screams authority, his personality is so soft."

She kept it a secret like how it was supposed to be kept. Like a mother, she would give some advice to Sehun if the younger would seek for some tips about surprising his boyfriend and on how to keep their relationship strong and beautiful. She would also treat him like her own child because her children have their own family already. The one who would be there to help with her flower shop was her youngest son. He does the deliveries, the arrangement of pots, and the cleaning of the shop so the old lady would not get tired. He chose to stay with her for the reason of still not having his own family unlike his siblings.

Though confused, the youngest son never questioned why Sehun has been sending flowers to H2Oasis company without his name written in the card. It has been years, if he could remember it clearly, and yet, the consistency of flowers every Monday was still there.

In their 4 years of being in a relationship, Sehun might miss some Mondays maybe due to his busy schedules but he would not _ever_ forget to make it up to his boyfriend.

"I would like to get the usual for today, auntie! He is already in his office so he would receive it straight away."

"Take a seat for a while, Sehun. I will just prepare his favorites."

While Sehun was gazing at the gorgeous tulips before him and admiring its petals, he was playfully chanting _I love him, he loves me more_ in his mind. Busy in his little world with the tulips, a thought suddenly crossed his mind; a thought that has been a headache since it happened.

"Anyway, auntie, do you remember that only Monday last April when I forgot to buy some flowers for Junmyeon?" He asked carefully.

"Yes, of course. Is there a problem?"

"A bouquet of flowers arrived in his office that same day. I wonder if you, perhaps, gave it to him?"

"No, son. It was not me nor my youngest son; but he was the one who delivered it to H2Oasis. You know me, whenever I send flowers to anyone, I always make sure that I am being recognized."

Sehun slumped his shoulders in frustration—he must know who sent it.

"Oh! I remember a _tall man_ bought the same set of flowers that you have been purchasing to be placed in the bouquet. He also told me not to put his name in the card," she said after a few minutes of thinking, digging every scenario from that particular Monday morning from last month.

"Have you encountered him again after that?"

"Not anymore, however, he told me he would certainly come back to buy another bouquet of flowers because _he_ loves them."

The media would not just stop pestering them for truth—following them around every time they would have a date. It was getting more irritating, could they please give them some privacy? They had their faces covered, cars tinted, but it seemed like the media has no plans of leaving them alone.

_You want the truth; we will give it to you_. Sehun thought before posting a picture of their intertwined hands on his Instagram account with a caption of 'Yes, we are.'

They were out on their casual walk around the Han River one morning where they could feel the sunlight against their skin, which they found therapeutic for people like them who usually spend their daily lives inside an air-conditioned office or building.

After a few weeks of observing the public’s reaction regarding their dating rumor, the couple felt a relief. They have not seen any negative comments about them and they included it as a factor of why they should come out to the public as soon as possible. He was a bit hesitant for it was a huge decision for the both of them because this was not initially included in their plans but today, they were definitely ready to face whoever tries to be a hindrance with their relationship be it Mr. Lee, the (some) public, or Junmyeon's family. With the smaller's approval, he posted that confirmation picture with a shaky breath.

_Finally, after 4 years._

"So, I guess we're free?" Junmyeon asked a rhetorical question which made Sehun smile a bit wider.

"Yes, we are, baby—finally," he hugged the smaller tight since happiness was overtaking him.

They could not believe that this day would come. Honestly, it made them feel like some sort of thorn had been pulled out of their chests. Sometimes, they would feel trapped, caged inside these regulations and doubts—doubts that they would not be accepted by Junmyeon's family.

But here they are, disregarding everything that have been stopping them before for the sake of freedom—something they did not knew was worth the sacrifices. Despite the possible consequences that would surely come after this, their hearts and minds were strong; they promised to face it together, hand in hand.

He asked his manager before posting the picture because he was aware that his manager might get reprimanded, but he just replied, 'You should do it if your heart wants it. I will stand behind you, you both got this.'

“I am proud to the both of us,” Sehun placed his phone back in his pocket like what he did was not something _so_ big and started a conversation as they head back to his place.

“Aside from we conquered this together, what else is there to be proud of?” Junmyeon answered, finding it endearing how his boyfriend was the softest these days.

“We were never caught, I guess? 4 years and not a single rumor ensued about our relationship. Also, we had the privilege to reveal it ourselves.”

“We were lowkey, you know? We barely see each other when we are in Seoul so a big thanks to your big brain about coming up with the idea to buy a house in Gyeonggi-do.”

“Oh Sehun—” his statement was cut off by a loud ring and hundreds of notifications from his phone.

_Here they come._

He answered the first call, a call from his manager-hyung.

“As expected from you, my brave man! I am so proud of you, guys, you really made it,” he exclaimed, so Sehun could not hide the smile on his face anymore.

“Is that manager-hyung?” Junmyeon asked in a low voice, referring to the person who called his boyfriend.

The taller nodded.

“Thanks, hyung. You are the best! I know the both of us will get an earful later on but do not leave me with Mr. Lee, please? Even though we are strong like this, I need more support especially that Jun would not be there,” Sehun was expecting to be summoned _again_ today so he would be needing a person to hold onto.

“Of course, I will be there. Be stronger for Jun, alright? See you later!”

After their phone call, he checked the comments and private messages he received from his friends and fans. Their friends who already knew their relationship sent a congratulatory message, saying how brave they were and as for the fans’ comments, they were not totally shocked, but they were indeed happy about the revelation.

_“So, it’s real! They are really dating! I’ll support you guys no matter what.”_

_“What a good day to be alive as a shipper!!! Brb, crying.”_

_“Stay strong, both of you!”_

_“Let’s do everything to protect these babies.”_

_“They are so lucky to have each other waahhh when will be the wedding?!”_

Sehun let his boyfriend read all the messages they received, and no words could explain how happy they were for they were surrounded by beautiful and supportive people who did not turned their backs on them.

While reading their fans’ comments, Sehun found them _really_ funny and hilarious, but in a good way; the number of congratulatory messages and questions in his comment section were just added to many reasons why they should be happy.

They could not ask for more, their most anticipated day had finally come and they were being accepted by most of the people. They thought that this fight would be the two of them against the whole world, like the worst-case scenario they foresaw, however, it was not. The whole world was not against them, it actually stands with them. Junmyeon could not help but to cry; he was too blissful and overwhelmed by the support they received and have been receiving—and that alone, was enough to fuel Sehun’s boldness to fight for their love once Mr. Lee continued to be an impediment to their relationship.

Sehun waited for a few minutes—a few minutes before he would face the wrath of Mr. Lee. He was sure as hell that their company was already in chaos with what he had done, especially their CEO. They do not like to release a statement as he suggested so the truth came directly from him.

And he was not wrong.

As they watch the number of articles about them increasing its numbers and upon reaching his condo unit, his phone rang, again, and this time, the caller is the CEO himself. Without second thoughts, Sehun swiped the answer icon up.

“Pack it up, young boy. I do not have the time to meet you because of the chaos you brought to the company and its name but let me tell you this: in spite of my warning, you closed your ears and decided to do what you want. I am not the type of person that you would like to get in trouble to. Compare to you, I know how this game works and once I decided to get my hands onto this, everything would only run on my commands and whether you like it or not, you might be stripped of everything that you have now. Follow my orders or continue to be a hardheaded person and you will see what could happen. You choose,” Mr. Lee deadpanned.

It galled the younger when he witnessed how selfish Mr. Lee could get for the sake of the company alone, without even considering his artists’ welfare. He does not know why their CEO was so determined to destroy their relationship; nonetheless, he would not sit still and let it happen. He must know the reason behind his pronouncement and while doing that, he must also protect his boyfriend from anything that Mr. Lee might precipitate.

“How about no?” He challenged the old man on the other line using his suggestive yet annoying voice.

“You brought this upon yourself, brat. Let us see where your disobedience would lead you,” and with that statement, Mr. Lee ended the call.

Sehun turned his head to the side where the smaller was silently watching him all this time. He just stood there, by his side, saying nothing and yet, his mere presence has the power to lighten his gloomy mood caused by the CEO. He heaved a sigh and rested his head on Junmyeon’s right shoulder. His eyes were closed and he was trying hard not to cry but he failed.

Junmyeon, on the other hand, noticed the sudden change of mood of his boyfriend. His smile was reaching his eyes before the phone call from their CEO; besides, he was being sassy while talking to him so he wondered what suddenly happened.

“Okay, babe, time to stop putting up a façade. You were so brave and I am proud of you, always. So, go and cry all you want. I am here,” the smaller rubbed the back of his sobbing boyfriend. He might not knew what the old man told him, but he knew that he should be there for Sehun.

“I just don’t get why he is so adamant on breaking us apart. It was not like we wronged him in any way and not to mention, he is being unfair with me! He is not like this with his other artists for he is known to use their relationships to his advantage,” so the speculations Junmyeon came up with a while ago was not wrong at all.

“Would you mind telling me what he said to you this time?”

“As usual, he warned me. I do not remember telling you this but he also warned me a few days ago. Ah, Monday, before I went to buy you some flowers.”

“And you didn’t because?”

“Because I thought it was just a simple warning and I don’t want to stress you out with it. I know that we are both busy these days because of work, especially you with your big project at H2Oasis, and I thought I could handle it myself but the warning from today seemed really serious. He made me choose between breaking up with you like what he ordered me to do and _continue being a hardheaded person and you will see what could happen_ ,” he mimicked the CEO on the last line.

“You said no, I heard your response. After that?”

“He told me I brought this upon myself and we will see where my disobedience would lead me.”

The small CEO paused for a few minutes, thinking of the possible actions that were feasible to be done regarding Mr. Lee’s warning but _that_ Monday has been bugging him since that day.

“Off topic, babe, how many bouquets did you bought last Monday?” He asked, hoping to hear the same number in his mind.

“I bought one and as I told you, I went to auntie’s shop directly to buy it. Why? Is there something wrong with the delivery?”

“His youngest son gave me two bouquets. I immediately recognized what bouquet was from you because of your handwriting in the card but I do not have any idea with the other one. The card only has my name and was completely blank in the part of message and sender’s information.”

The both of them fell silent from the realization they had; anonymous people have been constantly sending gifts to them and they have no idea who they are. It generated them discomfort. They could barely think of how, why, and where these gifts are coming from.

In no more than an hour, the young CEO sensed his phone vibrating in his pocket and given that it was Saturday, he reminded his secretary to call him if and only if an urgent matter came up and in her 5 years of working as Junmyeon’s secretary, never did she made a mistake with his orders, particularly the weekend calls, so this call must be undoubtedly significant.

She calmly told him that the news was kind of affecting their company and with her message, the board of directors wanted him to be in the conference room as soon as he could.

Oh, shoot. He forgot it for a moment. Outing their relationship to the public would not change the fact that he is still a CEO and he has a company to take care of.

After bidding his goodbye to the taller, he went to his own place right away to have a quick shower and change in his work clothes. Sehun does not like to let him go alone, fearing that the men who are waiting for him in H2Oasis might do something to harm him in any form, but in the end, he successfully persuaded his boyfriend to not to worry about him because he has been dealing with them for 5 years already and he already knew what to do. He assured the taller that he would call him afterwards once this matter was finally settled.

He was not surprised by the amount of media personnel outside their building the moment he arrived. Before getting out of his car, he informed his secretary of his arrival to have his bodyguards to guide him in avoidance to get hurt by the aggressive actions the media might carry out. They all wanted his statement; they all wanted a confirmation from the CEO himself but they were prohibited to enter the building so they gathered outside.

The attention he got upon entering H2Oasis’ building was plentiful than usual. He was already used to this, but this day was different. They might be bowing their heads when he passed by them, but an obvious murmur would come behind his back. Their murmurs might be inaudible for other people, however, the young CEO found it tremendously loud.

“Good morning, Mr. Kim. We apologize for disturbing your Saturday morning by demanding you to be here with us today,” Mr. Ji, one of the members of the board, greeted Junmyeon the moment they were all settled in their seats.

“It was fine, Mr. Ji, besides, I forgot to discuss a necessary matter with the board yesterday so might as well talk about it today,” he responded, face void of emotion.

“As the news broke out earlier today, many shareholders took an interest to buy stocks from our company. We were, to say the least, shocked with this fact because we thought your dating news would affect H2Oasis in a negative way. We are in no position to meddle with your private life, Mr. Kim, but all gentlemen in this room know how risky it was. Our company is being watched by the public closely especially now that the summer is finally approaching and everyone is waiting for our annual summer collection. The confirmation of your dating rumors might or might not bring problems with our company; it’s just a good thing that the general public liked what they knew and along with that, the people gave more attention to us which led to a wider exposure overseas. In conclusion, our summer collection is being looked forward by most people that was why the stocks increased.”

“I _know_ what I was doing so I also _know_ how risky our decisions were, but after calculating and thinking about the possible outcomes, I arrive at a judgement wherein H2Oasis might encounter problems when the shareholders pull their stocks; despite that, the company can stand on its own. Our company is already established so losing some stocks won’t really affect us.”

“We were just worried, Mr. Kim, after all, all of us would be effected by this in a positive or negative manner, but we trust you in this.”

“Great. That’s good to know. Is that the principal matter why I was summoned in here today?”

“Yes, Mr. Kim, that would be all. You may now proceed with your agenda.”

Junmyeon took a deep breath. He thought he would be ousted from his position as the CEO, nevertheless, he was not.

“The chairman has given me four months to find a new brand ambassador for our company. Three months have passed and all of you are still up for Mr. Oh to be our brand ambassador, however, I hope you are aware that he is Dior’s brand ambassador now. So, what should we do? Do you have any other ideas aside from Mr. Oh Sehun and Mr. Kim Kai?” He asked frustratingly.

Although he knew a lot of models and artists, the board of directors could not be persuaded easily. They opt to look for the personality, the influence, and the aura of every candidate which he found hard to provide—they were so picky (not that he disliked the idea), but once they found those three in a person, they would do anything to get them as their brand ambassador. At this point, their eyes are all on his boyfriend so he must introduce a new candidate for them to check. Only a month was left, they need to deal with this without any delays.

“The moment Mr. Oh’s approval with Dior reached our concerns, we looked for another model and right now, we are choosing between two,” Mr. Im mentioned, informing the young CEO of their chosen candidates to become their brand ambassadors.

“Yes, Mr. Im, please proceed.”

“First is Mr. Park Chanyeol of NNG Entertainment and second, Mr. Zhang Lay of Chromosome Entertainment.”

“Those two are my close friends so, I know them really well. Good choice, I approve. Let me talk to them personally and let’s see whose schedule would fit with our contract.”

They ended their meeting after a few updates from different department gathered by Junmyeon’s secretary about the ongoing production of their summer collection. Next month would be _their_ month and he could not wait to make his family proud of his achievement again.

As promised, he instantly called his boyfriend as soon as he left the H2Oasis. He told him what happened and assured the taller that he was not forced to withdraw as the CEO. Sehun was rejoicing in relief on the other line when he found out the good news from Junmyeon.

The stares from the employees were still there and he felt like those stares were piercing through his back. According to what he overheard, they were surprised about the news because never did they imagine that their CEO would be dating anyone due to his workloads in the company; he never heard any negative reaction and with that, he was very thankful to have such openminded employees.

To further discuss what they were talking about, of course, he was also capable of dating anyone. He was young, good looking, smart, and most importantly, he is a person too. Before he became their busy CEO, he is a human first and love was inevitable so who is he to not be affected by it? But to be honest, he was not expecting to fall in love either. It just came spontaneously, very sudden, it came like a flash and little did he know, he was already falling _really_ hard.

In addition, when he was tired or worn out, he would lean on Sehun, his pillar, his source of energy, and his boyfriend. He would be forever grateful to him for he was there in every moment, every success, every fail, every emotion, and every discovery.

Sehun was there.

He was there when he thought he would be alone to face these occurrences.

He was there to celebrate his small and big accomplishments with him.

He was there when he was left by everyone.

He was there even if he thought he would not be.

He was there when he objected anyone to come and save him from the deep sadness caused by an immense failure he had.

He was his first boyfriend, his first kiss, his first cuddle, his first love making, his first in almost everything—and he wanted him to be the last.

Junmyeon had always liked Italian cuisine—he was obsessed with their pasta and pizza—that was why his dinner and lunch meetings would be held there without fail like his appointment with Park Chanyeol today.

The two good friends were having a casual conversation though the goal of this dinner meeting was to persuade Chanyeol to be H2Oasis’ brand ambassador. They talked about their personal life, in which, of course, they were permitted to for the connection they have was not limited at work. The young CEO found out that the artist was considering their offer and was just waiting for NNG Entertainment’s approval. Zhang Lay, on the other hand, had a personal emergency matter in China, where his family resides so, he chose to reject Junmyeon’s offer and prioritize his family in China.

Junmyeon and Chanyeol also talked about the news of the young CEO’s status with Oh Sehun which was just publicized last week. In return, the smaller remembered his friend’s cute little boyfriend and asked how their relationship was going.

“We’re cool and actually, we are already planning for our wedding that will be held in the next two years and as your best friend, I demand both Sehun and you to be there,” Chanyeol sliced his medium rare steak as he announced his future marriage to his friend.

“Well, wow, that’s great! How long have you been engaged?”

“I proposed to him last month. It was quite epic though, he was planning to propose to me the same day so, we both surprised ourselves with engagement rings.”

Junmyeon eventually noticed the ring resting nicely on Chanyeol’s left ring finger. As far as he could remember, it was Boucheron’s wedding band collection. The taller’s ring was a silver band with a black lining and its size was double from what we saw online.

“You must have cried, eh? You have been blabbering to me about how you want to marry him sooner,” the young CEO laughed, remembering those times when his friend would treat him to coffee just to plan his surprise for his boyfriend who was often flying in different countries because of his concerts and world tours. “Does Baekhyun have the slimmer version of your rings?”

“Yes, I bought the slimmer version for him the day after he bought my ring. It was a pure coincidence, I guess. We never told our plans to one another but we ended up buying the same ring from the same collection.”

“You are really meant to be, then.”

“Yes, we are,” Chanyeol declared without stuttering. The man’s really sure, eh? “How about your relationship with Sehun? I thought you had no plans on telling this to your family but it would be unavoidable by now. You are dating an actor model and also, you are a public figure; I am sure your dad already knew this.”

The smaller felt a slight thread of uneasiness wavering in his system. He still was not sure; he does not know if he could face them anytime soon either.

“I don’t actually know, Chan. They are not calling me like the usual so I guess they are fine with it though I am not sure myself. You know my dad, once he ordered me to do something, I will follow him without any second thoughts for I don’t have the strength to defy his orders.”

“You know, Myeonie, you are too obedient to your dad and it scares me that one day, it would affect your relationship with your boyfriend. I am afraid you might get hurt because of this excessive ‘good son’ figure that you have been showing to your family. You will turn 30 next week, you should have your own say with your life and don’t solely base your decisions with your dad’s words.”

“I can’t. He raised me, clothed me, fed me, gave me a good life to live, and loved me. I am forever indebted to him and following his commands is the only way I know to repay that.”

“You.. you don’t understand. Yes, we are indebted our lives to our parents, but not that kind of indebtedness,” he sighed. “It was their responsibility to do all the things you mentioned and if you want to repay them for you think those things were too much, you are already doing it by caring for them and loving them. Moreover, isn’t giving up your dream of being a singer enough? I mean, look, you initially do not want this life, right? You wanted to be like Baekhyun, a world class singer, but you chose to follow the life they set for you to live.”

“I had no choice,” Junmyeon challenged.

“You had one, and you chose to ignore it.”

The smaller could still remember his enrolment day in college. Both Chanyeol and him were rushing to their dream prestigious university where they would be enrolling themselves in any minute. They were running awfully fast to reach the building of College of Music in fear to be run out of their desired schedules. They were about to set foot in the said building when Junmyeon’s phone rang. His dad called him to remind him that he would be the CEO of their company in the future so he must choose his college course wisely.

The smile was completely wiped off of his face after that phone call. His dad was aware of what he really wanted to pursue—music, and he showed his disapproval with his son’s choice, subtly insisting for him to take a business course.

Chanyeol talked to his friend and he was trying to make him understand that once he enrolled himself in the College of Music, it would be impossible for Mr. Kim to meddle with his decision. He was not a friend who was a bad influence by trying to make Junmyeon oppose his father’s wishes, hence, he was just trying to help his friend to trust his own decisions.

Junmyeon suddenly became reluctant of his choices considering the phone call from his dad a while ago. He was determined, he finally made his mind, and prepared himself to enter a new world wherein he would see a glimpse of what his future might be—a successful singer who was being applauded by hundreds of people. It was just regretful to say that a single phone call would ruin all of it.

He carefully turned around to find the building of the course he never really wanted, away from the College of Music, away from his heart.

The taller tried to call him, to make him come back to where he really desired, but he has decided and it would be final.

It was not that he was blaming his dad for not achieving what he genuinely wanted. Chanyeol was right, he had a choice, but also, he does not want to upset his dad so he followed his instructions.

After their heartfelt conversation, they called it a night and headed home directly. Traffic was once again present in Junmyeon’s Friday night. Unlike any other Fridays, the road was not as packed as he thought it would be.

He fished out his phone from his pocket to read some of the messages he received earlier when he was having dinner with Chanyeol. The number of text messages was unusual too. He was not usually receiving bunch of texts except if it was from Sehun, if the younger has a break from his shooting and in the mood to tease him with his annoying stickers.

The texts were all from the same unknown number. He kind of felt terrified for the reason that he was an extremely private person and he made sure he knew everyone whom he gave his personal phone number to. He read it one by one just to check if this anonymous person was a stalker or not, and it took him a single text message to take a U-turn, ignoring all the text messages left unread.

_‘Junmyeon, this is Sehun’s manager. Your boyfriend is missing since this morning, please help us find him.’_

Although he was in a rush, Junmyeon could not afford to break any traffic rules at the moment for it would cost him more time to spend on the road. When he read manager-hyung's message, a place immediately came to his mind and that was where he was heading right now.

His heart was beating loudly inside his chest; he was fretting, he could not think straight, and he was _so_ bothered. His heart was silently wishing to find Sehun there because if not, he might lose it.

He thought about it thoroughly, no problem had occurred in their lives for the past week; how come Sehun would disappear like this without telling him his whereabouts? Upon thinking about it, his heart never took the word ‘calm down’ by heart. He was highly worried of his boyfriend and he wished that wherever he was, he was okay.

After an hour which felt like forever, the young CEO finally arrived at Gyeonggi-do, in the house they bought.

The lights were all off, there was no car in the parking lot, but the front door was not locked from outside. He was certain that they locked the house last Saturday so his boyfriend must be inside.

“Sehun? Baby? Where are you?” Junmyeon cautiously opened their front door and he was welcomed by an odd darkness akin to desolation.

The taller was not really fond of dark places that was why the lamp with stars and moon on their grand piano was always open each time they were there. Sehun had bought the lamp himself when he traveled to China a few years ago. The smaller asked him one time about the reason of his fondness with the said lamp and thus Sehun told him that he once accidentally saw him playing a song in their grand piano with a dim surrounding and the source of light was only from the moon. So, the taller found it amusing; the sight was very enchanted for him to watch so he bought that lamp in hopes to see his boyfriend play again, but it did not happen. Since then, Junmyeon would play any song he knew while his boyfriend was sitting beside him, watching his fingers move against the keyboards gracefully, and this was what he could call their happiness.

“Sehun?” Junmyeon called for the nth time. He was finding his boyfriend around their house but he was not there.

One room was left and if Sehun was not upstairs, Junmyeon does not know what to think anymore.

“Sehun? Are you here?” He carefully opened the door of their bedroom, and there, he saw his tall boyfriend laying on their bed. He was wearing an earphone while watching something in his phone.

“Oh, hey, babe! Have you seen my text message? I told you, you can come here by tomorrow but you’re here now,” the actor model asked as he removed the earphones from his ears.

Junmyeon sighed in relief. Thank heavens, his boyfriend was here and was safe. He also felt stupid for not looking thoroughly in his inbox, Sehun’s message was actually there; he does not just saw it.

“Manager-hyung told me you were missing so, I panicked. I didn’t saw your text because when I read his message, I immediately rushed in here.”

“Is that so? I hope I did not make you worried.”

“Don’t worry, it’s also my fault for not checking all the text messages before letting panic overshadow my actions.”

After the young CEO discovered his boyfriend’s whereabouts and his current state, he sent a message to manager-hyung at once saying that he had found him and there was nothing to worry about because he was safe.

Still, Junmyeon was curious.

As far as he could remember, Sehun had a filming schedule this morning but according to his manager’s message, it looked like he was not present there and he was unreachable for he would not surely need Junmyeon’s help to find him if he knew where the younger was.

His boyfriend would not be coming here earlier if nothing had happened. It seemed like the younger was not telling him something and he was willing to wait for him to spill his worries.

“Mr. Lee is finally starting to work on his tactics for me to obey him. I originally have a schedule for a commercial filming this morning, right? But he had it postponed until further notice. The commercial filming was not urgent so the staffs of the brand agreed. I don’t know what he told them and why the staffs seemed okay with his resolution,” Sehun recalled, providing a space for his boyfriend to settle down beside him.

Junmyeon lay down and remained silent. He wanted to listen to his story before asking these questions running inside his head.

“I know that we would eventually come to this point as we envisioned, but I didn’t expect it to be this early. He came to me earlier and reminded me again that if I continue to go against him, he has the power to cancel all my schedules, hand it on other artists, and even have my name blacklisted in every company. At that very moment, I felt unsafe, but I was sure—I was sure of where I should go to make myself feel safe again and I was not wrong,” Sehun barely show this side of him to anyone, apart from Junmyeon; he could freely display his defenseless state and disclose his hefty, unsettling thoughts.

“Why didn’t you call me? We promised to each other that once we feel troubled or terrified, we would call each other to notify ourselves, right?”

“I know, I know. It’s just that… I overheard your conversation with your secretary yesterday that today would be your appointment with Chanyeol to convince him to be your brand ambassador, and I know how big of a meeting it is in your part. I do not like to trouble you with my own worries; therefore, I secretly went here to find solace and I did. Going here was my only resort.”

“Still, you could have informed me that Mr. Lee was already treating you unfairly since you told him the news of dating me. I know I would not be much of some help by coordinating with him, well, at least, I can help you to deal with him.”

Sehun hugged his boyfriend as the smaller snuggled closer. There, he finally felt perfectly safe; he might find solace in the structured house they call home, but with Junmyeon’s side, he felt guarded, vulnerable, and loved.

Due to Mr. Lee’s clear warning to the taller, the couple have decided to stay in their house in Gyeonggi-do for the meantime. They thought that this would be for the best; they also need to breathe some new air away from the suffocating society they had in Seoul. This would be safer as well for no one knows that they own a house in this province. They considered this as a longer vacation but not totally a vacation because of the workload they left in Seoul; it is more likely an ‘impromptu escape’ from their reality.

The two also did not forgot to turn their phone’s GPS off to avoid being tracked down and made it look like they were imprisoned in their own world, within the four corners of their home and no intruder was allowed to get inside.

Ironic, wasn’t it?

It was ironic how they were free when no one was with them. They feel free when they were hidden from the eyes of the public, most especially from Mr. Lee. They were free every time they chose to be caged inside their home.

Freedom, sometimes, was supposed to be felt the moment you let other people know what you’ve been keeping with yourself, right?

In Sehun and Junmyeon’s case, they were not granted enough freedom to be entirely free, hence, letting everyone become aware of their relationship just constrained them to do more, to live at liberty.

Junmyeon settled all his unfinished company matters with his secretary through a phone call the next day they went out to buy them some groceries and informed her that he would not be coming to work for a few days or weeks, he was not sure. In addition, he has the COO to look for H2Oasis temporarily. He might not be physically there yet he reminded his secretary to report to him every significant happening in their company which she answered by a sincere, ‘Will certainly do, sir.’

“Today, we will have a glimpse of the life of a married couple, in short, our future life,” Sehun pushed their grocery cart a little bit faster, teasing the smaller who was still stuck in choosing what flavor of ice cream he should get; the mint chocolate or the cookies and cream.

“Yah! Wait for me! I’m still undecided with this. Would you at least help me to choose the flavor of ice cream you might want to eat later?!” Junmyeon yelled in a lowered voice. They were still careful of their actions; people might recognized them and that was the least thing they wanted at the moment.

The taller resumed on playing push and pull with their cart. He was like a kid who accompanied his mom for the first time in the grocery and he just kept on adding whatever he liked in their cart. Junmyeon, on the other hand, was fine with it for they need to buy everything they need and might want because they should not do grocery shopping often.

“Babe, come here,” Junmyeon called for his boyfriend who seemed tired of pushing and pulling their cart. What a cutie.

“Oh?”

Without any word, the smaller secured their cart in his hands and let the taller roam around to get everything he needed. “Shop for your necessities and wants. I will just be roaming around too. Find me along the dairy section if you want to place everything you’ll buy in our car and don’t forget Vivi’s dog food, okay?”

Without further ado, Sehun sprinted away with small jumps from the laundry section where Junmyeon was standing and the young CEO could not help but to smile and mutter, “Cute.”

The couple made their stay worthwhile; they rearranged Junmyeon’s favorite paintings, they change the positions of the couch and tables, they disposed their old stuffs, and cleaned their trophies and plaque of recognition that were proudly displayed in a glass cabinet behind their favorite couch.

A new interior design for their possible new life.

Those trophies consist of awards such as Best New Actor, Most Popular Actor of the Year, Best Male Actor, Best Supporting Role, Best Entrepreneur of the Year, World Entrepreneur of the Year, and many more.

They stared lovingly at those awards they have had in the past years, could not actually believe that they were together when they received all those trophies and plaque of recognition.

Sehun and Junmyeon has been through almost everything throughout their relationship together; they were basically there for each other every single moment. This staycation, too, would be the longest time they would spend there in Gyeonggi-do and they wanted to make the most out of it.

“Sehun! Babe! What should I cook for dinner?”

“It’s up to you! I will eat whatever you cook!”

“Don’t come to me later and complain about my shitty cooking, alright?!”

“We’ll work on the taste later on just cook whatever you want, I’m almost done with our laundry!”

“Baby, I want to watch this movie for tonight.”

“We just watched that yesterday, don’t you remember?”

“Still!”

“The ending won’t change even if we watch it for one hundred times more, Se.”

“Let’s just watch it for the last time this week, please?”

“Stop displaying your cuteness with me. It won’t affect me.”

“Really? Really, Junmyeonie baby?”

“Okay, okay, what’s the title?”

“‘It won’t affect me’, my ass. Resistance would never in your vocabulary when it comes to me.”

“Vivi, look. Your dad is drooling over me.”

“Sehun! Stop teaching our kid nonsense stuffs.”

“He’s blushing, Vivi, look!”

“Wear your shirt for Pete’s sake! Our heater is not on, you might catch colds and please, hand him over to me. I miss cuddling our baby.”

“Your other dad misses you, little bud. Go and play with him for the meantime while I am finding a comfortable shirt to sleep on.”

As days passed by, fans started to notice the actor model’s disappearance. While the couple was having their best time in Gyeonggi-do alone, Sehun’s fans started to worry about him. He was not usually this inactive in his social media accounts and he could be seen every once in a while so updates about him were often known by his fans.

Today is Junmyeon’s 30th birthday so many people were expecting the couple to show up or at least for Sehun to greet his boyfriend in any social media platform. As the rumors of the taller’s disappearance arouse, the young CEO’s straight absence in the company also became perceptible. Their phones are turned off, they were unreachable in every possible way and no one knows where they were, even their closest friend, Yoona, has no idea with their current location and situation.

She was starting to worry for the two for they had disclosed with her Mr. Lee’s displeasure regarding their relationship. At first, she thought that it would be fine; she knew the couple by heart so she also knew that they could surpass it together, but these rumors of sudden absence and disappearance were not something she predicted.

The aroma of delicious food could be smelled in a particular house at Gyeonggi-do. Sehun woke up earlier than he usually does to prepare and surprise his boyfriend for his 30th birthday. The meals he assembled was not very grand like the food from high class restaurant, but he made sure to make it extra delicious for the birthday boy.

Sehun thought about it, his boyfriend just turned 30 today and never once did they talked about marriage. He was sure as hell that Junmyeon was the only one he wanted to marry and he was also sure that the latter would chose him as his husband to be.

Nonetheless, he still has to properly ask his hand for marriage and upon thinking about it, he quickly finished everything that he was cooking to go to the nearest mall to buy something—something that could make a big change.

At 10am, Junmyeon was woken up by the pleasant smell coming from downstairs. _Sehun must have cooked something delicious,_ he thought. He brushed his teeth and washed his face before proceeding to greet their dog a good morning and to give his boyfriend a morning kiss, but Sehun was not anywhere inside their house.

There was a small note attached on the table which states that the taller just went outside to buy something and it would not be long so he must wait for him to come back before eating his breakfast.

The young CEO settled cozily by the table as he turned on their heater and played with Vivi because the pup was obviously hyper today. He also wondered why Sehun cooked lots of his favorite food; yes, he did not remember his birthday today. He literally lost track of time ever since they stayed there in Gyeonggi-do; maybe this was also because he still hasn’t turned his phone on so he was not mindful of the dates.

“Good morning, babe! Finally awake?” At last, his boyfriend arrived with a bag of groceries in hand.

“What’s that?”

“Just some wine and Korean noodles, we might crave for it later.”

“Is there an occasion? You seem giddy today and take note, you went out alone without even asking me what to buy.”

Sehun chuckled and the smaller found it hilarious.

“You don’t really know, didn’t you?”

“I suppose I wouldn’t be asking you if I do.”

“Calm down, babe! It’s a great morning, no need to be grumpy like that,” Sehun stepped closer. “Happy birthday, Jun.”

“It’s… my birthday? Already?” Junmyeon could not believe his ears, he must have been dreaming.

“Yes! That’s why I cooked your favorites. Stuff your stomach with healthy yet delicious food today.”

“Oh my gosh,” he started to panic which made him do some indistinct movements. “What should I do?” he chanted all over again.

Even though confused, Sehun tried to calm him down by ordering him to sit down and tell him what was happening. “Babe, what’s happening?”

“Today is the day that I would finally see our summer collection worn by the models. Today, I will see the outcome of the most important work I had this year. Today is the day, babe! I am so happy I was able to do this again with the help of our employees and with your support,” Junmyeon suddenly teared up. He was too overwhelmed to even contain his happy tears. “I love you _so_ so much. Thank you for staying with me.”

Sehun released the breath that he had been holding. For a second, he thought something was wrong and Junmyeon would have to come back to Seoul but, no, he was just an overthinker.

The night came in a blink of an eye.

The couple were currently enjoying their dinner, in courtesy of Sehun’s delicious cooking, and an old song in vinyl was playing in a turntable at the same time. It was a candlelight dinner that was partnered by their suits and styled hair. Both were dashing tonight; they were shining as bright as the stars from the sky. This was all Sehun’s plan, yes, and Junmyeon really loved how his boyfriend prepared all of this while he was asleep.

It was only 7pm in the evening when they decided to have an early dinner because at 8pm, Junmyeon would open his phone and call his secretary for updates regarding the samples of their summer collection.

“Yes, I remember the day when I introduced you to Chanyeol! You were nervous as hell—you thought that he would detest our relationship but turned out that he did not so, you became extremely close and kind of forgot me who was also there!” Junmyeon laughed, reminiscing that particular evening when he introduced his boyfriend to his best friend.

“You can’t blame me! He looks intimidating especially when he’s not smiling,” Sehun argued as he remembered how stiff he became the moment he saw Chanyeol.

“They are getting married, anyway.”

With the mention of that word, Sehun’s heart started to throb in an uncontrollable speed. He asked for a sign earlier today, that if Junmyeon would bring up marriage as their topic, regardless of its form, he would propose to his boyfriend during their dinner.

“Chanyeol and Baekhyun?”

“Yes, they proposed to each other last month. The wedding will be in the next two years and we’re actually invited.”

“How about you? What are your insights about marriage?” He subtly asked, hoping to hear the same answer in his mind.

“I think it’s fine. I actually want to get married before I turn 35 and have three kids because I love them.”

That was it. Sehun heard it clearly. A clear indication that his boyfriend also wanted a marriage.

The actor model finally mustered up the courage to ask Junmyeon’s hand for marriage as he fished out something inside his suit—a small velvet box which he bought from the nearest jewelry store this morning.

“Junmyeon,” he reached out to hold the young CEO’s left hand. “I know to myself that I am certain. I became more than sure especially when you’re here with me right now, when we felt like we were constrained of freedom.”

“Why are you suddenly so sweet? What’s happening?”

“Shh, let me finish,” the taller shushed his boyfriend for he wanted to pour his heart first before getting sassed by the smaller. “I was just asking for any sign of your thoughts about marriage and since you brought it up, I did not hesitate to ask you. Thank heavens your answer was the same from what I wanted to hear.”

Sehun, then, knelt slowly and showed the velvet box that has been hidden in his hand for a few minutes now.

“But let me ask you my real question, will you allow me to spend your lifetime with me? Will you marry me?”

The young CEO wiped the tears off of his eyes for it was hindering him to see his boyfriend properly. His mind went blank and all he could think of was a bright future with Sehun by his side. He secretly pinched himself because if this was just a dream, he would not mind waking up but it was not—this is happening for real; Sehun was really kneeling in front of him while flashing the silver band inside the velvet box and asking him to be his lifetime partner.

All of their memories rushed back into his mind like a speedy car; from the moment they met to the moment they started dating, from the moment they shared their first kiss to their last love making, from the moment they first saw each other defenseless to the moment that the both of them were standing strong against all the odds.

He was not shattered nor broken when Sehun entered his life. He could not tell that his love for him fixed him like some of the people he knew. He might not be a shattered glass; however, he was a blank canvas.

His life was dull and boring before the taller came crushing into his life. He knew nothing but work, professional etiquette, stocks, production of products, and everything that concerns his work. He was too engrossed by work that he forgot to take care of himself; maybe that was why his employees were shocked when they knew that he was dating someone.

Sehun brought him every twists and colors which he never asked for. It just flowed naturally, vibed with him continuously, and little did he know, he was finally loosened up. Junmyeon was never the type to be terrified with changes so, he welcomely adapted the changes his boyfriend had brought.

They have been through so many triumphs and struggles together and he would not mind facing the upcoming challenges and success as long as he’s with his one true love. Besides, there was no reason to say no if everything he had wanted in life could be given by Sehun and that is to love and to be loved.

“I am more than willing to spend my lifetime with you, baby. Yes, I will marry you!”

Like what Chanyeol said, he had a choice and this time, he chose what his heart was yearning for knew, he chose the right one.

They felt the energy of better days coming within them right after the proposal… or not. The couple felt ecstatic upon sealing their love with a chaste kiss as they disregarded everything that might hinder them from being happy and by doing that, they felt the real happiness.

They realized that it was not bad to be selfish sometimes; it could actually bring a peace of mind to anyone.

It was not too long when Junmyeon came to call his secretary to check the current situation with the summer collection.

“Sir,” the moment she answered his call, Junmyeon felt an unusual, alarming feeling in his stomach. _This isn’t good,_ he thought. “I apologize for saying this but you need to hurry back in here. Our competitor launched their summer collection this morning and their designs were all the same as ours.”

“What?” Junmyeon blurted out, anger and fear immediately consumed his mind. “Are you sure with this? Please, if this is the board’s tactics to make me come back, you don’t have to set up a lie like this for I will come back sooner—”

“This is real, sir. All of us were also shocked with this information but yes, they already released their summer collection and all of it were similar to ours, detail by detail.”

“How the fuck does this absurdity happen?! I will be there in an hour, gather all the employees and no one is allowed to go home until I find who betrayed me.”

Junmyeon cried in too much frustration. Their hard work was stolen just like that; the collection that they have been preparing to release since last year were all stolen. Without second thoughts, he grabbed his car keys but his trembling hand was retained by his boyfriend.

He looked into him and instead of forcing him to let go, he buried his face on his chest and there, he cried so hard to release all these pent-up emotions.

“I’ll drive you there, come on.”

The young CEO could not afford to talk as of the moment, but the little squeeze from him told everything to the taller, including his gratefulness for him.

Junmyeon gathered all of H2Oasis employees to find out how did their competitor get all of their designs. It was impossible to happen unless someone was spying inside his company and was actually working for his competitor. He does not understand why they have to go this low by playing dirty just for money.

“I strongly believe that there must be someone behind this and whoever you are, mark my words, I will catch you and I’ll make sure that you will be jailed.”

The news immediately reached the Kim household and as soon as Junmyeon opened the door of his condo unit the morning after, he was welcomed by his family’s bodyguards, telling him that Mr. Kim, his dad, wanted to meet him.

All throughout their ride home, the young CEO was incredibly nervous. No matter how hard he tried to formulate a reasoning in his mind, he would just end up into thinking that if he was just there then maybe, all of it would not happen. He does not like to, but all he knew right now was he was the one to be blamed for this ruckus.

The big gates of Kim mansion never had an effect on him until this very day. Anxiousness bloomed in his system at the present moment when he saw their two gigantic gates which indicated that he would be meeting his dad in any minute now.

He entered their mansion with an anxious mind and as far as he could remember, these white marble wall never felt this cold. He felt like a stranger in his family’s own mansion. He found it hard to take a step especially every time he thought of what they might say once he saw him; his feet felt heavy so he was trying hard to drag them.

While heading to the farthest room on the first floor towards his dad’s room, he thought of quitting and running back to his condo unit to just cuddle himself with his big yet soft comforter. He was not ready, he was not ready to face the wrath of his dad, and most especially, he was not ready to hear anything he has to say.

Junmyeon peeked behind the white door only to be welcomed by a sight of an old man whom he admired his whole life and was sitting on his bed with a book in hand. His aura screamed authority though the ambience seemed peaceful.

He knocked for three times so his dad turned his head to look at him.

“Come in,” he motioned.

“Dad…I-I’m—”

“I am disappointed, Junmyeon, I am very disappointed with you.”

Those words stabbed the smaller straight into his heart; he does not know words would be this painful until this day. It teared him apart—he felt that all his efforts to see him as a good son were all put into waste. For all his life, all he wanted was to please his dad with his efforts and hard works, therefore, to hear that he was disappointed with him was the most painful statement that he has ever heard from him.

Mr. Kim did not spare him a glance after saying those words. With an aching heart, he ran away from that mansion—away from what he once reckoned as his _home._ All he was feeling was pain, there was pain all over; no matter how far he ran away from that mansion, Mr. Kim’s words came bounding down in his mind.

So, like a broken record, their encounter became a recurrent incident for him which made him believe that he _really_ was a disappointment.

Junmyeon immediately thought of Sehun. He needed him, he needed his reassuring words and comforting smile, he needed him to tell him that he did not upset him like what he did to his dad. He needed a hand to help him get up from an extreme fall upon hearing his dad's words.

“He told me he’s disappointed,” Junmyeon reiterated as he felt coldness embrace his feet for not wearing any socks in the middle of the night. “And after that, he turned his attention to the book that he’s reading like I wasn’t there in the first place.”

“Come here,” Sehun gestured him to come closer.

The two were currently in Junmyeon’s place while they were trying to come out to the public little by little. Tomorrow morning, Sehun would once again, talk to Mr. Lee and if their CEO was still firm with his decisions, he would do something that he never thought he could.

“Am I really a disappointment, Se?”

“No, you’re not. You have spent your life according to their liking and you did whatever they want even if it is against your wishes. You’re not a disappointment and I believe that you will resolve this problem with your company just take everything slow and act legally. Don’t let your anger overpower your actions, alright?”

“I am mindful of everything that I am doing, it’s just that… I couldn’t help but to burst out from anger for the reason that someone inside H2Oasis’ vicinity betrayed me, us. I don’t get it. Why do they have to do this to me when I showed them nothing but kindness in the past 7 years?” Junmyeon stared blankly in their ceiling. “Was I too kind to hand them my full trust?”

Sehun kept quiet; it was not time for him to talk, it was time for Junmyeon to voice out every single thing in his mind as of the moment and all he got to do was to listen.

“You know, Se, sometimes I thought about what happened last week. If I didn’t leave the company in its crucial time of our project, maybe, just maybe, this wouldn’t have happened; however, I think our designs were stolen even before I went to Gyeonggi-do because no company can produce such huge number of products in the span of one week. An eye was watching us closely and I failed to catch them that’s why _this incident_ happened.”

“Tell me, are you blaming yourself, babe?”

“No? Blaming myself would just make me feel worst. I already feel like a shitty person when I met my dad so, instead of blaming myself, I will work hard to solve this and maybe that would change what he thinks about me.”

Sehun, then, became speechless after that. He was immensely thankful for Junmyeon was this smart and strong. He was literally independent like how he was raised; the only thing is that he became emotionally dependent to Sehun. After every bad day or incident, he would came running for him, seeking for his love and warmth. By this, he does not mean that he does not like it, he actually loved the idea; nonetheless, he was just worried that _that_ day would come and he would not be of help to make his boyfriend feel loved.

The days passed by stressfully for the couple. Sehun could finally feel Mr. Lee’s words; his schedule for the whole month was suddenly empty and his manager told him that it was because their CEO cancelled all of those. All of a sudden, the famous, always booked, young actor model who goes by the name of Oh Sehun was suddenly jobless.

On the other hand, numerous problems have occurred in H2Oasis for they spent hefty of money to launch their summer collection and in the end, all of it were just launched by their competitor so, they could not do anything. It was already launched; it was not like they could tell them to withdraw everything they displayed in public because those designs were owned and currently in production in H2Oasis.

Junmyeon hired the best lawyer he knew to help him deal with this problem and by doing that, the company would have to spend more money to take legal actions. The betrayer was still unknown and upon talking to the CEO of the competitive company, he stated that the designs they launched were all theirs and were all under the process of production since last month.

_This could not be a coincidence,_ Junmyeon thought.

Of course, it was more than impossible to be a coincidence; the designs were all the same from the tiniest detail to the biggest one so they could not tell him that it was all a coincidence.

He was not born yesterday and he did not come here to play.

Having to deal thoroughly with the matter on their company meant less time for his boyfriend but the taller understood his situation and according to him, he would be there anytime he needed.

Junmyeon was once again, working hard for the sake of his family—for their name; it was the main reason why he was having these sleepless nights just to solve this problem immediately because their shareholders are already pulling out their stocks one by one yet, H2Oasis was still standing strong.

The young CEO was undisturbed and was not paying attention to their stocks for he was sure that their most trusted shareholders would not pull out their stocks, hence, he was vastly wrong. The people who owned a large amount of stocks pulled out after two weeks of no progress with their problem. They left Junmyeon hanging in the air, with H2Oasis was finally situated on his shoulders and was nearing its downfall.

He does not have a face to show his family, especially his dad, now that the company he built with his blood, time, and perseverance was in the verge of closing mainly because of his carelessness.

_I’m sorry, dad. I have terribly failed you._

Having an emotional breakdown in the middle of the day was not something he thought he would do. He felt like he was really a failure, a disappointment. The young CEO stared at those documents before him but his mind was flying all over. He was not crying, he just felt empty and defeated. There were no tears left to cry since he cried so hard on his birthday. That was enough. He must deal with all of this without including his emotions.

“Mr. Kim, the investigation team we hired has a good news for you,” his hired lawyer, Atty. Nam, announced as he entered Junmyeon’s office in a rush.

“What is it, Atty. Nam?” The smaller suddenly felt the life coming back to him. Finally, there was still a hope to save them from this downfall.

“We found out that Mr. Lee Mi Don of XYZ Entertainment Company was behind all of this.”

He was simply tired of everything. Mr. Lee would not really stop unless he got what he wanted. He could have talked to Junmyeon and settle all of this over a formal meeting, why did he have to stoop this low?

First, he made Sehun totally jobless and second, he ordered someone to steal his company’s designs to give it to his competitor company. Does their relationship irked him so much that a company his father built with all his might would get involved?

This was the _fear_ they had talked about that night.

For Junmyeon, he feared that Sehun might lose his job while fighting for them. Losing his job would mean that he also lost his dream to be a well-known actor model and a CEO of his own company.

For Sehun, on the other hand, he feared that Mr. Lee might harm Junmyeon by any means for he was capable of doing almost everything and today, all of their fears came to life.

Junmyeon was wishing for a genuine happiness for all his life and now that he grasped it, someone was there to take it away from him, someone he does not know personally, and someone whom he has no connection with. A thought suddenly came to the young CEO, is fate playing with them?

There and then, with tiredness consuming him and a heavy heart, Junmyeon decided—enough of this bullshit.

"Sehun, I am tired and…" Junmyeon called his boyfriend to settle everything between them as he started the conversation, his voice was evidently unstable. "I—I don't know where to start."

"It's okay, Jun, take all the time you need. I'm here, I won't go anywhere," Sehun reached out to hold his hand, trying to reassure the smaller that whatever it was, everything would be fine.

"No, no... Sehun, you don't understand," he pushed his hand lightly, scared to feel its warmth. He treated his hand like it was some kind of wire that would electrify him the moment he got in contact with it.

"I'll understand. Just tell me what is it and I'll try to understand," the younger said, almost pleading.

They both know what was happening but they were just scared to face that they would be going _there_.

"Don't be like that, Sehun. We both know things between us would end in any minute now so please, please stop understanding me for a moment," with a frustrated voice, there, Junmyeon said it with a heavy heart.

"Why would I stop understanding you if that's the only thing I could do to alleviate your pain especially right now?" Sehun answered yet Junmyeon couldn't decipher the emotions behind his strong approach. "This is the least thing I could do to protect you, even if this might be the last."

Without any thoughts, Junmyeon rushed to his boyfriend to embrace him and bury his wet face on his chest. He was crying too much to the point that he could not breathe and see properly.

He does not deserve this man—the man who would prioritize him albeit hurting. Junmyeon was the one who was inflicting pain to them, however, Sehun was choosing to protect him from that pain.

He was too perfect and Junmyeon thought, he was too flawed to be deserving for the love Oh Sehun has.

The taller caressed his back slowly, drawing circles to calm the smaller down. Both of them have been emotionally unstable for the past few days and this was the first time Sehun saw his boyfriend crying because of personal problem, too much emotions, because he was in pain; it was a sight he never wished to witness.

"Are you alright now?" Sehun asked, now swaying their bodies together while dancing to his silent humming of their favorite songs.

"No," Junmyeon stopped crying to get his breathing back in a normal pace.

"Baby," Sehun made the hug tighter and made sure that it was not suffocating for them.

"And I think I will never be alright," he uttered, voice starting to sound empty and tired.

Wasn't it absurd? Sehun's arms were his safe haven and Sehun was his home yet being held like this by the taller was making him feel the pain more.

He does not want this—he does not want to be separated from his boyfriend but they don't know how to protect each other anymore. Indeed, love was a potent and an inevitable feeling and at this rate, love was powerless; it could not save the both of them.

“Come on, tell me, what’s wrong?”

“Mr. Lee was behind the stealing of our designs. The legal team I hired found out this morning that he hired an employee from my company to be a spy and to give all our designs to my competitor so basically, this was a conspiracy against me and now my company is in the verge of bankruptcy—nearing the downfall which I never thought I would experience,” Junmyeon muttered. He was dead tired from dealing with everything this morning and he just wanted to _rest_ from all of this. “And everything, Sehun, including our relationship; everything just feels wrong.”

“I am sorry I was not able to protect you when I promised that I would always be your shield. I failed you, baby.”

“No matter how hard we try to make everything alright, we just end up making it worse. I love you, you know that, and I know that you love me too, but don’t you think that all of this is too much already? It seems like fate was done with us because maybe, just maybe, we aren’t really for each other.”

The engagement ring was still in his left ring finger, resting there perfectly. Sehun saw it and he was silently holding onto their promise that they would spend their lifetimes with each other. As long as Junmyeon was wearing their engagement ring, he would still believe that the smaller’s love for him was not going anywhere.

“I… understand,” Sehun whispered.

“I just don’t know what to think anymore. Everything just points that we should stop here already because going farther would just bring us more pain.”

“I love you.”

“I… love you, too, always,” the young CEO embraced his boyfriend really tight for he knew, this might be the last. “But let’s fix ourselves first, separately. Staying with each other more would probably ensue a continuous chaos within us and… this is the only thing I know to save us from drowning more. We were wrong, Sehun, we were wrong for thinking that we are indestructible. We are certainly wrong for thinking that we could surpass everything if we are together, hand in hand, but look at us now; we are close to giving up because everything was too much. We could not handle the force which breaking us apart though I strongly trust our love for each other.”

“Please be stronger, Jun. Promise me you’ll come back stronger, bolder, and undefeatable. When the right time and moment comes, I will ask for your hand again. I will pursue you and continue to show my love for you. When everything fell in its right place, let’s be together again.”

“I am looking forward to that day, Sehun. Please don’t forget me, okay?”

This was harder than what he expected; this day was his hardest day. He would have to leave the love of his life who also served as his emotional support to prevent them from hurting more.

They looked in each other’s eyes and it pained them more upon knowing that this might be the last time that they could hold each other close like this. With a final kiss on their lips, the tears flowed from their eyes along with the goodbyes.

The media was once again lining outside the H2Oasis for the company had successfully came back from its downfall three years ago. Today, the H2Oasis company which was renowned for releasing high class summer collection did it again for the first time after four years.

When their designs were all stolen four years ago, the company did not try to release something again, hence, they focused on catching who was behind it. After a few investigations and legal process, they efficaciously filed some cases against Mr. Lee. The conspirator, on the other hand, was none other than his most trusted COO who initially wanted to put Junmyeon in a bad light by making him look negligent whilst working with Mr. Lee’s plans. The young CEO did everything in his might to make them pay for what they have done for it was not only his efforts that were put into nothingness, but the employees’ efforts were also there.

In addition, after he settled the problem within H2Oasis, Mr. Kim himself came to Junmyeon’s office to talk to him. He told his son how sorry he was to make him feel like a disappointment but as a matter of fact, he was never one; nevertheless, Mr. Kim saw and appreciated everything Junmyeon had done to satisfy their family. He uttered that he was beyond thankful to have a son like him.

Junmyeon cried really hard in his father’s arms for the first time in his whole life. He felt like all the tiredness and pain he was feeling caused by these awful events were suddenly alleviated. Taking advantage of the situation, the younger took the chance to ask his dad about what he felt upon knowing his relationship with Sehun.

“I was fine with it, really. The thing is… I know that Mr. Lee would use your relationship with his artist to take his vengeance for me and that was what worried me the most.”

“I’m sorry, dad, I never had the courage to tell you the truth. We were dating for four years already before we came out to the public. But, dad, did something happened from the past that it took Mr. Lee this far to avenge himself?”

“Twenty years ago, XYZ Entertainment was involved in a scandal which brought them down. Mr. Lee’s company was on its peak at that time so the scandal was a big blow for him and his company and at that time, I was planning to buy a stock in one of these entertainment companies to expand our product’s exposure and of course, XYZ Entertainment was included in my choices. When Mr. Lee found out about my plan, he convinced me to buy the stocks from him. His company was nearing its bankruptcy and according to him, I was the only one who could save it by means of buying almost 50% of stocks in his company but we all know how dirty his tactics are. He was a well-known two-faced CEO which would use everything in his disadvantage.”

“So as a smart person that you are, you did not buy his stocks?”

“Absolutely. So, his company vanished for a few years in the entertainment industry and he blamed me for it. It wasn’t I who caused brought this upon himself but it was him and his dirty way of running his business.”

“We have nothing to do with all of this, why does he have to carry his resentment for all these years and throw it against us who does not even know what happened before?”

“Mr. Lee is finally in jail, you can go and have your happy ending with your boyfriend now,” Mr. Kim said like he was dismissing his son to make his way towards his happiness.

“We broke up last month, dad, and I don’t have any idea where he is right now. He just promised me that once everything fell into its right place, he would come back and ask for my hand, over and over again.”

Everything happened in a blink of an eye. Little by little, Junmyeon worked _harder_ to make their come back in the business industry to build the trust of their shareholders and investors. Eventually, they came back to H2Oasis after seeing the CEO’s perseverance but it does not mean that the money they have lost would return instantly; it was a matter of time and hard work.

And today, after three years, Junmyeon was proudly facing the public upon the successful comeback made by H2Oasis when everyone thought that they would totally fade in the business world.

“So, tell me, CEO Kim, how did you feel when the thriving H2Oasis was suddenly dumped?” Hana, the emcee of the talk show asked him.

The young CEO was having a television guesting in promotion of their newest collection and for the sole reason of their brave comeback.

“It felt surreal—but not in a positive way, of course—because honestly, it never ever crossed my mind even once. I know my company, I know my staffs, and everyone was doing their best so I thought it was impossible,” he answered truthfully.

“Nevertheless, you’re here again, getting back to where you were standing and I’d like to congratulate you with that,” she applauded along with the audience who were present in the studio. “Though, Mr. Kim, after everything that had happened, a rumor was going around that you are finally engage and was about to tie the knot next month. Any clarifications?”

“It’s true,” Junmyeon revealed as gasps and screams from the audience resurfaced immediately.

The silver band in his left ring finger was shining brightly against the lights of the studio. It fits him just so perfectly.

“Would you like to tell us who was it and how did you meet each other?”

“Sure, of course, though I am not sure if _he_ is currently watching for I know that he has a meeting to attend at this hour,” the young CEO chuckled. “ _He_ was tall, yes, I’ll describe him first, is that alright?”

“Sure, go ahead!”

“Uh, _he_ was tall and our first meeting was not ideal like any other love stories in there. _He_ started by anonymously giving me flowers and it crept me out so I told to whoever it was to stop, of course, but he eventually showed himself after a year of those anonymous flowers sent to my office.”

“Oh, so it was not ideal but it was indeed cute! He must have liked you too much, eh?”

“I think so. _Kris_ is a shy guy, really, and he likes to make his moves secretly. He’s also sweet and fun to be with.”

The screams of the audience were heard once again and this time, it became louder. They were chanting a name, a name which sounded surprisingly foreign in his ears. It has been three years and he could say that everything finally fell in its right place but still, he was nowhere to be found.

_“How about Sehun?”_

_“Where is Sehun?”_

_“Are you really happy with Kris?”_

There were so many questions; mostly about Sehun’s whereabouts and what happened to them after they revealed their relationship that was followed by H2Oasis’ downfall.

Sad to say, Junmyeon himself does not also know where the taller was.

“Seems like you spoiled them too much with your upcoming movie, Mr. Kim! Let’s stop here and just support our young and successful CEO as he makes his debut as an actor in their movie entitled ‘Sweet Lies’ with the Chinese actor, Kris Wu!, that would be released next month!”

“Please give Sweet Lies lots of love. Thank you, everyone!”

Sighs of relief were heard from the studio audience as he revealed that it was all for his upcoming movie and not in real life though it was true though, that Kris was the anonymous sender of his flowers from before because the taller wanted to make a good impression for the reason that they would work together in the future as Junmyeon secretly signed a contract in Kris’ company to pursue his dream to be an actor singer; now, the said future had finally happened.

On the other hand, Junmyeon accidentally caught the sender of Sehun’s small box when he decided to go to the taller’s condo unit to get his remaining things in there. The petite man was about to place down the small box when the young CEO arrived. As if on cue, the petite man ran away like he saw a ghost but Junmyeon grabbed his arms gently. The petite man goes by the name of Luhan and he was a famous photographer residing in the same building. He meant no harm, he said, he was just a big fan of the actor model and he was shy to give his gifts personally. Junmyeon smiled and let go of the said photographer and the two actually became friends.

Now, everything was solved and good, and Sehun was still gone. The young CEO started to think that the taller already gave up and he would not come back to him anymore. He just hoped that he was safe, wherever he was.

The sun was excellently shining against the window glass of H2Oasis’ wall. It was a day good for everyone; the weather seemed fine and the sky was in its beautiful blue color. Junmyeon was drinking his usual morning coffee when a knock from his wooden door was made from outside, auntie’s youngest son came to his office again after a long time.

“Long time no see, Mr. Kim!” He greeted cheerfully, feeling ecstatic to have to deliver in this building after such a long time.

“Yes, it has been years! How have you been? How’s auntie?” Junmyeon replied, feeling the same joy.

“We are all doing good, including our shop. Mom told me that she misses you so much and if you can, she was asking you to visit our shop if you have the time.”

“I will certainly do that. Anyway, do you have a delivery in one of the departments in here?”

“No, Mr. Kim. I actually have a delivery for you,” he answered as he handed the bouquet of tulips, gladioli, and daffodils. This was unusual from all the bouquets he received from before.

“Is this from Kris?”

“The sender wrote a note for you. I should take my leave, then. Goodbye, Mr. Kim!”

Junmyeon smelled the flowers first before opening the note that was neatly put in the middle of the bouquet. Whoever sent this to him had a good choice, he thought.

After three years, he received a bouquet from auntie’s shop again so he could not help but to reminisce the past wherein Sehun would send him his Monday flowers and just by looking at those, his stress would be alleviated.

He carefully peaked at the small paper stuck between the beautiful flowers and what he read almost made him stumble, tears formed in his eyes right away, and his heart shouted in familiarity.

All of the fears and doubts that were accumulated in his heart instantly fade away and so he hugged the note really tight like he was hugging its sender. _He_ does not changed; he was still true to his words.

_‘Good morning, baby. Today would be the resume of Monday bouquets, but this time, I will let you know it’s me. Also, I will not forget to write you a note. The engagement ring is still in your possession, right? Hold on, I will replace it with our wedding ring soon. See you later, I guess? Vivi and I would be waiting for you at Gyeonggi-do._

  * _Oh Sehun’_



**Author's Note:**

> first of all, i'd like to thank the mods as they patiently answered all my questions! this is my first time joining THIS ficfest and i know that this won't be the last uwu alsoooo a big thanks to my beta reader, master, who bear with my 2am updates sesh thank you so muchie! <33 and lastly, to my favorite sehoist! this fic is for you, i hope you like it!!
> 
> and to you, who gave this story a chance, thank you, too! feel free to bump me on twitter after the reveals :))


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